VidePics

"Water surrounds the flower, but does not wet its petals."

2010-08-19T14:02:00.000-04:00

-A.Videira

Model at 3? Only for me :)

2010-08-09T12:03:00.000-04:00

So happy I have her as a model. At only 3 years old.. she is better than over half the people I know at modeling!! Thank you Maddie <3

-Uncle Ant

Blurred Nature

2010-08-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

So.. I haven’t posted on here in what feels like FOREVER, but what else is new? I get busy, and stop, and forget about it. But when I do remember, it’s usually because I feel that I have something worth posting. So I’m not going to promise that I will be posting ‘from now on’ but we’ll see where it goes.

Hope all is well
-Av

Mother's Day Photoshoot

2010-05-11T21:58:00.001-04:00

Here are the photos from my latest photo shoot that I did this past Friday. It was a children portrait session in my DIY Studio in my family room for Mother's Day. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them :]

-AV

Happy

2010-03-25T21:41:00.001-04:00

So I figured instead of posting 20 pictures in one post, I would put them into a video.. Enjoy! These photos were taken on March 24, 2010.

The Faith of Fairfield Hills

2010-03-23T21:50:00.000-04:00

This is another photo from Fairfield Hills, and I caught this “stained glass” on the front door of one of the doctor’s buildings. There were actually a couple of these on the door, but this one was my favorite because of the red coming through above the woman’s head. I saturated the image to bring out the faded colors and give the peeling paint some more life. I really like how the image is framed because it gives a little more interest to an otherwise simple photo.

-A.Videira

HDR Self Portrait

2010-03-22T19:01:00.000-04:00

So this Saturday I went to Fairfield Hills, an abandoned mental asylum that was closed about 15 years ago in Newtown. I LOVE going to that place, but the only thing that bugs me about it is the police! Every ten minutes or so, they feel the need to drive by and “check up” on you.. Pretty annoying, but understandable. MANY of the windows there are broken, and when you would walk up near them (obviously not when the police are around b/c they have a 15 feet imaginary boundary around the buildings) you could feel how COLD it is inside those buildings. I mean it was fairly sunny for the previous three days or so, and it was FREEZING in there.. Does that mean something..? Who knows..

For this photo I set up my tripod and set it on the Auto Exposure Balance setting that helps to create the High Dynamic Range effect that was achieved in this photo with three combined photos. The HDR helps to bring out the lights and darks in the photo that would normally be blown out or completely black. Thank god I had my cousin there to push the shutter so I didn’t have to run with the 10 second timer and pose! I hope to go back there again because I never leave there without taking some awesome shots!

-A.Videira

Night Photography on Film

2010-03-18T19:25:00.000-04:00

So this photo was taken a while ago, but I finally went around to printing it 8x10. This photo was taken on film for my photo class. It was taken in Vermont on a foggy night with myself standing behind the model with a strobe facing the model’s back at full power. Night photography was my favorite topic that we did in photo class, and I have often included it in my past couple themes also. There are times when I struggle to capture the perfect light because of how fast the sun seems to set! At night you create your own light and place it exactly where you want it and decide how powerful you want the light. I believe that the more control you have over a photograph, the easier it is to achieve the photo you have pictured in your mind.

-A.Videira

Peaceful Warmth

2010-03-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

So this is a shot that I took a little while ago, but it never made it to the blog. I loved this shot ever since I took it, because of the contrast between the warm subject and the cool background. I brought this shot up in my last post, but I feel like it deserved it’s own post.

-A.Videira

Practicing DOF

2010-03-14T20:30:00.000-04:00

So I was outside practicing depth of field for my photography project and I came across this wood.. thing (?) that I used previously for this shot. I really like the dirty look of the planks, and how they look when blurred out. I threw the leaf on there and played with the angle so it went along with the sun nicely.

-A.Videira

Self Portrait with Charcoal

2010-03-12T16:50:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I have been working on this charcoal piece for about two weeks now for my Drawing II class, and I think I am finally done! Those squares took about a week themselves, and I finally added the color with conte crayons today. This came out nothing like I had pictured it in the beginning, but I am pretty happy with the result. Hopefully my teacher feels the same way!

-A.Videira

Blue Sunset

2010-03-11T17:22:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I got this new blogging program for my computer called MacJournal, and I think that is the weird push the I needed to get back into photo blogging. It took a little while to get used to this program, but after I actually understood it I realized that it is actually MUCH easier than how I did it before.

So, back to the important stuff, the photo. This was taken in my backyard with my telephoto lens. I was going for the silhouetted branch look with a SUPER blurred out background, and I definitely believe that I achieved that. Hopefully this whole blogging thing will catch on again in my brain so I can continue share my photos again!

-A.Videira

NYC

2010-03-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

So, I haven’t blogged in.. who knows how long! But, hopefully I will be getting back into it :)

This was a shot from about a week ago when I took a trip to New York City. I drove up with a couple members of my family, and we just ate some AWESOME food and shopped a little. It was a really good time! I took this photo into photoshopped and played with the colors to really bring out the run down feeling of the building, and the colors in the windows.

-A.Videira

Don't Smoke..

2009-09-14T21:55:00.002-04:00

.. just take pictures of it!

I tried this technique a while ago, and it was SO hard without the proper lighting, and now that I finally have purchased a flash, I can do so many things that I could never do before! I took this photo by setting up an incense and a black sheet. I then placed the flash to the right of the smoke and then came the pictures! I LOVE pictures like this of smoke, and when you add color in photoshop it just makes it 10 times better!

Don't forget, comments and critiques are ALWAYS appreciated!! Thank you!

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

What a model..

2009-08-22T18:10:00.002-04:00

Alright so I took this picture today of Maddie, and I LOVE it! I figured that it was so good enough to have it's own post. This girl is the PERFECT model. She just loves it, and never wants to stop. She would be able to stay there all day taking pictures, and not even feel the need to stop. She really needs to get into it professionally!

Enjoy,

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Maddie's Dress

2009-08-14T16:55:00.003-04:00

Alright so today Maddie was wearing just the cutest dress! I just had to have a photoshoot with her before she went home. I really like some of the shots, but when I brought the photos into Lightroom and added some color effects they came out awesome.. in my opinion! :)

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

MidWeek Roundup 8.13

2009-08-13T12:15:00.003-04:00

Alrighty, this week we go from photoshopped blue water to pinching the sun. From giving texture to a leaf with the sun to smiling before going to the pool. And lastly we get some bokeh through a net. Hope you all enjoy, and remember comments are ALWAYS welcomed :)

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

MidWeek RoundUp 8.7

2009-08-07T11:11:00.005-04:00

Alright this post goes from nature to one of my 'famous' photoshoots that the kids LOVE to do! It also shows a picture of the new lens that I got about a week ago. I love it! It is a 50mm f/1.8 :)

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Wet Bokeh

2009-07-29T15:47:00.003-04:00

Alright so yesterday I decided to take a piece of glass and lay it on two stools. Then I sprayed it with water and put some christmas lights under it. I really like the first picture where the water is in focus and the lights were blurred into white orbs, but the second picture is just so cool! I kinda got it by accidental experimentation.. I got it when there was nothing in focus, and the water was being lit in a way that it made this effect on the glass.

I made these pictures bigger than usual in this post so you guys can really see the detail :)

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Weekly Roundup 7.27

2009-07-27T19:40:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, another weekly roundup.. Remember comments and critiques are ALWAYS appreciated! ;D

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

1..2..3 PAINT!

2009-07-27T17:24:00.002-04:00

I have done about 10 paintings or so, but I never really felt the need to post them. I did this painting recently that I kinda like. I am not always a person who likes to paint scenes or landscapes because I feel like I can get more creative with abstract compositions, although I have done a landscape or two before.

Enjoy,
AnthonyV

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Vacation Roundup 7.20

2009-07-20T14:19:00.004-04:00

A couple of vacation shots.. There should be more tomorrow or so ;)

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Roundup 7.19

2009-07-19T13:14:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize that I had taken this many nature photos, but I just got back from vacation and I figured that I would post pictures from before vacation before I start posting pictures taken in Cape Cod.

- VideBoi@gmail.com -

Roundup 7.6

2009-07-06T22:26:00.003-04:00

This is a post compiled of veeeery random photos.. It includes a couple shots from photoshoots, a couple outdoor shots, a shot where I experimented with dual exposure, and even Amy wearing my mom's old wedding dress! What a wacky couple of weeks ;)

- A.Videira -

Weekly Roundup - 6.22

2009-06-22T16:13:00.005-04:00

- A.Videira

2009-06-07T15:56:00.003-04:00

Alright, I know that I haven't posted in a while.. and that is why there are so many pictures this week! Hope you enjoy them :D

- A.Videira

Prom Photoshoot

2009-05-17T17:46:00.003-04:00

This is a group of photos from the 'photo shoot' that I did with my cousin, Jonathan. They actually came out better than I thought! I can't wait to get them printed!

- videboi@gmail.com

Weekly Roundup - 5.10

2009-05-10T16:48:00.001-04:00

- videboi@gmail.com

Weekend Roundup - 5.3

2009-05-03T14:43:00.001-04:00

- videboi@gmail.com

365::365 - Done!

2009-04-29T21:07:00.001-04:00

Alright, so this is it! The end of my 365 project. What a ride it has been! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by. I never though I'd last more than the first couple of weeks and here I am, 52 weeks later and I've enjoyed every single day of it! It will be weird, not having to think of what I'd be taking on a daily basis, but I'm sure I'll get over it quickly!

OK so there were some days when I really couldn't be bothered, but those were the days that I pushed myself and tested my limits of my own creativity. I feel like I've gone from someone who might get a half decent photo every now and then to someone who can work out if a photo is going to be half decent before I even take it. My confidence in my own photography has grown hugely.

I am so glad that I found this project, and I am so happy about all of the support that I have gained. I have grew more confident in myself, especially in my photography. I had seen this idea floating around the internet, and I kept checking what others were posting, wondering why they would want to take a picture every single day while at the same time wondering if I could do it myself. After a couple of weeks (and some camera chaos), I took the plunge and immediately got the bug. I would find myself thinking about my photos during the day, working out what I could do, what might work, and what might make an interesting photo. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't but one thing is certain, it made me pick up a camera every single day and for that I will be forever grateful.

And so, I'd just like to take this chance to thank everyone who has supported me through my year in photography. I would never have been able to do this without you guys! I want to thank my family and friends, especially, who while they may not have really understood why I did this, they supported me nonetheless. Thank you all for helping me on my journey from day 1 to day 365. I have benefited from this project in so many ways, and I couldn't picture how my life would be without it.

THANK YOU!!

One Foot in Front of the Other

2009-04-28T22:03:00.001-04:00

So today while we were playing outside in the boiling heat, I decided to bring my camera. Just randomly, Madison decides to just walk away and not say anything. I snapped this picture just because of the walk she was doing, she is already walking like a model (one foot in front of the other :] ). I really like the vignette that I added to this portrait because it is really strong, but it did not just create that solid black area around the edge. I really like what the vignette especially did to the shadow from the lattice. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

PS: THE LAST DAY OF THIS 365 PROJECT IS TOMORROW!!!

Blow... and Make a Wish!

2009-04-27T21:52:00.000-04:00

So today the kids decided that they wanted to try and blow the seeds off of all the flowers that they could find. I quickly thought of this two picture idea, and I really liked how it ended up. I made this using picnik.com. I have never tried anything quite like this before, and I am glad that I got to do it before my 365 project ends. I also really like how vibrant the colors ended up. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

A Life of Its Own

2009-04-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to take a picture of one of the flowers that is beginning to grow around our porch. I can't believe how fast everything is changing into Spring! I just love it! I can't wait until all of the dead trees come back to life. This photo was taken with my macro filter and I just love how close it lets me get to the smallest things. This flower was probably only about an inch in diameter, and I think it looks so much bigger! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

“Beauty without virtue is like a flower without scent.”

2009-04-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

So today I went to a photography scavenger hunt in New Haven. It was SO much fun, and one of my friends went with me. This was the picture for "Soft Texture", and I really liked how her hair was blowing in the wind. It allowed you to just see just enough of her face to see that she was about to smell the flower. These were just some of the colorful flowers that were in the park in New Haven. I am so glad that I went, and I am SO going to do it again next year! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

The Grass is Greener

2009-04-24T23:05:00.001-04:00

So today I just knew that I had to go outside and use the sun in a picture somehow. I wasn't going to take a picture directly of the sun, but obviously I used the sun to light up these plants. I will admit that I have never noticed these plants like this on our yard, but the sun really helped them stand out in my eyes. I didn't really have to edit this photo because the plants were actually THIS bright because of the sun. Well I hope you all had a great SUNNY day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Reaching Out to Each Other

2009-04-23T22:56:00.000-04:00

So today after doing Maddie's hair, we were watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 when she saw the Froot Loops on the table. She wanted to get out of her chair so bad so that I could give her the cereal. I REALLY like how her hands are blurry in this picture, and how her face is completely clear in because it shows a creative use of DOF. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"You can't score from the penalty box"

2009-04-22T22:45:00.000-04:00

So today I went to a hockey game with my cousins, and hockey is actually one of the only sports that I truly enjoy watching. Even though we bought our tickets last minute, we ended up getting really good seats anyways. We were so close that we could actually touch the players in the penalty box, or even the announcer (not that we did!). I made this picture black and white because there were random colors around the photo that were too distracting, and did not let the eye focus on the picture in itself. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

The Gentleness of a Flood

2009-04-21T23:26:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to take a picture of the trees with some fog behind them, but that didn't work out so well. As I was walking back into the house, I noticed a flower on the steps with really nice rain drops on it. I ran and grabbed my macro filter to shoot this flower and I didn't even have to move it. I actually didn't think that I would be able to get a clear shot this close to the flower, but I am very happy with the results. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

It Was a Piece of Cake!

2009-04-20T23:11:00.000-04:00

So today was my dad's 53rd birthday! I can't believe that he is that age because he doesn't look that old AT ALL! This was the cake that he asked for: a chocolate cake with chocolate mouse filling, and chocolate frosting.. and this is what we gave him! The cake was very good, especially the frosting! This was a picture that I shot just before we starting singing, and I added a pretty strong vignette so it looked like it was really dark in the room with the candles really standing out. I also made the picture black and white because the colors of the cake were sort of distracting. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Just a Blur..

2009-04-19T20:25:00.001-04:00

So today my mom told me that I just HAD to take a picture of this tree that has began blooming flowers. They are really small, and really pretty. I just knew that these flowers would make an awesome bokeh photo, and it did! I liked the offset flower composition, because it lets the eye draw itself into the background so that you know that there is more flowers back there. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face”

2009-04-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

So today while driving home, I thought that the sun looked really cool against the road. It took about 20 pictures to get the composition framed up right, and I ended up really liking this one. I really like how the road looks, and how you can see the sun peeking through the trees. Even though I didn't take a picture with three exposures (which is what is normally used to make an HDR) I still added the HDR effect to this picture, and it actually helped make the road more prominent in the picture. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Stand Out in the Crowd

2009-04-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

So today just before leaving Amy's house, I decided to snap a picture of one of the flowers that has already begun to bloom. I really like these flowers because they tell us that Spring is actually coming. I can't wait for the hot weather to come back.. I would rather sweat, than wear a sweatshirt! This flower was so low down to the ground that I couldn't be behind the viewfinder, so I had to set the lens to what I guessed would be good, and just 'blind shoot'. It took a couple tries, but the framing ended up coming out pretty good. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Brotherly Love

2009-04-16T13:40:00.001-04:00

So today while I was outside with the kids I decided to bring them over to the swing in the front yard. I don't know why I never took a picture of them on this bench before because I just LOVE the look of it, especially with this color effect. All I did was ask Tyler to put his arm around Maddie and the expressions were just natural. I knew this picture would look good with this colored effect the second I took it. It really brings more emphasis to the expressions, and less on the colors of their clothing. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Spring is Among Us

2009-04-15T23:59:00.001-04:00

So today after playing with the kids outside, I decided to do my 'photo walk' around the yard. I found this one little plant that has began to bloom. I was so into taking the picture that I didn't realize this bee buzzing around me, and I HATE bees! The second that I actually SAW the bee a literally fell on the floor out of fear! I did not take any more pictures of that flower, and I just walked away. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

“A weed is no more than a flower in disguise”

2009-04-14T22:44:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to take a picture of these flowers that my mom got for Easter because they are finally starting to bloom. I moved the flowers into the sunlight because natural light is the way to go! I grabbed my macro filter, and got real close up. I really like how the only thing that is really in focus is the tips of the petals, and the colors of the flower really make the picture pop! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bubble to the Surface

2009-04-13T22:25:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to bring the bubbles outside when I went out to play with the kids. I always have the mindset that I will spend only a certain time with my camera outside, and then spend the rest of the time playing around and having fun. This was a picture that I finally got after a multitude of failed, blurry pictures. I added a vignette to this photo because I felt that it would bring attention to the bubbles in the center, and I also felt that it would make the bubbles on the edge look a little cooler too! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Flower Power

2009-04-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter Everybody!

So today we went to my cousin's house to celebrate Easter with the family. They had an Eastern egg hunt, and the kids loved it! I just loved walking around taking pictures of them, especially Maddie in her pretty, flowery dress. She can pull off ANY outfit! When I uploaded this picture to the computer I added a de-vignette effect to make the picture feel a lot softer with the white around the edges. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Cover Up

2009-04-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

So today I went to my sister's house to color easter eggs with the kids and it was a lot of fun. Before the sun went down I went outside to walk around the yard and take pictures of anything that caught my eye. This is a picture that I have always wanted to take, and I finally found the perfect place to take it. I had to kinda had to stand in a thorn bush to get this, but it was totally worth it! And the sepia effect was a happy accident. I was trying to push a different button, and I hit 'sepia' instead. Once it was in sepia, I brought down the saturation to give it a really nice effect. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Searching for Worms

2009-04-10T19:45:00.000-04:00

So today I was sitting in the family room when I saw a bunch of birds walking around the yard eating worms. I decided to go and grab my telephoto lens so I could get real close up without go outside in my pajamas! LOL When I brought it onto the computer, I bumped up the saturation and vibrancy so that the green of the grass really popped out. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sunlight Breaks Through Darkness

2009-04-09T23:49:00.001-04:00

So today I was about to eat my dinner when I looked through the window and saw a perfect opportunity for another HDR image! I was probably standing there outside for about 10 minutes just snapping away at the sun, and eventually my eyes just started to tear up uncontrollably! I took like 10 different compositions, and this one was my favorite because of the light shining from the cloud in the center. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bokeh Beads

2009-04-08T17:25:00.000-04:00

So we have these bead necklaces lying around our house from a recent baby shower, and they somehow ended up on my desk. After a couple days, I finally decided to take a picture of them. I thought they would make a nice bokeh, but I never thought that they would come out like this! I really like how the beads flow from the front and slowly fade into the background. I used my macro filter so I could get really close to the beads. I barely edited this photo at all, because the colors all seemed fine and I didn't want to mess it up. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

An Angel of a Bokeh

2009-04-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

So today I brought my telephoto lens upstairs with me while I was doing Maddie's hair. When I was done, I was just taking random shots around the kitchen, and I took this really simple shot of a crystal angel that has been in another one of my 365 shots! The photo seemed really plain, so I decided to add a layer of bokeh over the picture in photoshop. I am a lot happier with the result than I thought I would be. I feel that the bokeh adds a soft touch to the photo without taking away from the main subject in the picture. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Spinning Drops

2009-04-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

So today was another rainy day.. and I really didn't like the fact that I couldn't play outside with the kids, although, I was crazy enough to go outside with my camera! I had to carry my umbrella, my camera, and I had to hold my macro filter against the lens (because I was silly enough to get the wrong size, and I don't have enough money to buy a stop down ring!). One of my favorite parts of a macro filter is that is makes awesome bokeh! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bringing it Back Old School!

2009-04-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

So today while we were at the mall, I finally got my first pair of converse!! I used to think that these shoes looked so silly on people, but I have gotten so used to them that I actually started to like the low-cut ones. This photo was kind of hard to get because I couldn't find a set up that I liked, until I turned one of the shoes around to show the ALL STAR. I thought that the photo looked better in black and white because the shoes were in black and white anyways. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Carousel Gardens

2009-04-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

So today I went to a psychic fair in this old, closed-down restaurant. I didn't think that it was the coolest thing, but my mom loves it! Now, the place REALLY didn't look this creepy, but considering why we were there I decided that this photo would look great with this certain effect. I also needed to add the clouds in separately because there was pretty much no clouds to begin with. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. [Before & After picture below!]
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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3421368183_99b18da1f3_o.jpg

Feel Free to Stare

2009-04-03T23:10:00.001-04:00

So today the kids were kinda bummed that we couldn't go outside and play because it was really raining hard outside. When I was walking down the hallway, I saw Madison just standing in the family room watching her movie on tv. I really liked the lighting behind her so I ran and grabbed my camera, and to my surprise, Madison had not moved! The only major editing I did to this photo was to add a vignette so that the light was more focused on the center of the picture. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

High-Profile Cat

2009-04-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

So today I went outside to play with the kids and the cat came up to us to pet her. Madison just LOVES the cat, and runs to her the second she sees her. I switched the camera to monochromatic so that it would automatically take these pictures in black and white, and I just loved how they look! The black and white lets you focus on the subject instead of the colors and light. I didn't have to do much editing for this photo, other than bumping up the contrast a bit. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Who Holds the Keys?

2009-04-01T23:05:00.000-04:00

So today I was so loaded with homework that I was working on it for almost SIX HOURS! I had homework in every subject, and I had to write two papers! To represent this I decided to take a picture of the thing that I used on almost all of my homework! For this picture I set up my black backdrop and placed my old keyboard on top of it. Then I brought over my FAVORITE light, set up with a 'snoot' so that the light would be directed on one area of the keyboard and not be spilled onto everything. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

PS: This was NOT an April Fools joke!

3.. 2..1... LIFT OFF!!

2009-03-31T21:18:00.000-04:00

Alright so today we obviously went outside to enjoy the weather and play around. Tyler always asks me if we can takes these jumping shots off of a stump that we have in our backyard whenever we are outside. I tried to get Madison to take some of them, but she wasn't into it at all. Tyler will take these shots for an hour if I had the time, but we were only in that spot for like 10 minutes or so. While editing this picture, I added a stronger than normal vignette so that the focus was on the center of the image, and so the stump would be less noticeable. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Future Model? Of Course!

2009-03-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to have another photo shoot with the kids. Tyler wasn't completely into it, but Madison was TOTALLY into it, as usual! This is the first photo shoot where the backgrounds of the pictures were completely white! They usually have a little tint of color in them, but this time I set the kids a little farther from the backdrop so that it would be blurred so much that the color would just disappear and fade away. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Raising the Bar

2009-03-29T15:13:00.001-04:00

So today I decided to take another HDR photograph because they are my FAVORITE! I was walking around the yard with my telephoto lens on and I realized this line of trees that reminded me of the Cingular "raising the bar" commercials. I had never noticed these trees like this before, and I really liked how they looked. I also really like how the HDR brought out the deep shadows in the clouds, and also the vibrant colors in the trees. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

“Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you”

2009-03-28T20:15:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to take one of those random shots that you would never think would come out as good as it looked in your head. I didn't think this would come out as cool as the picture in my head, but I am pretty happy with it. I was REALLY surprised that I didn't get any of those little shapey shine things from the sun (What are those called?). Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Purr-keh!

2009-03-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

So today I was playing outside with the kids, when I noticed the cat walking towards us. I was sitting on the ground when I thought of this shot. As I always say, I love it when there is something in a picture that is really blurred, but you can still tell what it is. I bumped up the saturation so that the green grass would really stand out against the black fur, and it came out better than I thought. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

The Darkness of Fun

2009-03-26T19:52:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to try HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography for the first time! HDR is where the camera takes a normally exposed image, over exposed, and an underexposed image. Then you take the pictures to a computer program (I used PhotoMatrix) that mashes them all together into one photograph. This process can be used to bring out details that would normally be blown out in an image. I am slowly falling in love with this technique and I will DEFINITELY be using it in the future. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Taking Flight

2009-03-25T22:19:00.001-04:00

So today we had vultures flying around our yard ALL DAY! My mom was flipping out when I went outside to take pictures because she was convinced that they would attack me. Well obviously I am fine, and I am happy with my results. Unfortunately I found the reason that these animals were flying around our yard. I was walking around and I saw.. half of a possum in the grass! I could clearly see its rib cage, and its face. I only found this because I saw one of the vultures drop it. I did take some pictures of the possum, and I was debating whether or not to make it my photo of the day, but I decided it was a little too graphic. Well I hope you all had a vulture free day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. (Link below is where you can see the photo of the possum.. beware!)
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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3572/3385861151_02ea6dec0a_o.jpg

Kiwi Love

2009-03-24T22:05:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to have a kiwi, which I haven't had in a LONG time! Before I peeled the kiwi, I took a slice and placed it near the window. I needed to use a couple of toothpicks to hold the kiwi slice up to let the sunlight shine through. I had to hold the camera at such an angle that I wouldn't get any strange shapes from the sunlight in the photo. I really like how you can see all of the details on the inside of the kiwi from the light shining through also. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Can You Hear Me Now?

2009-03-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

So today when I was doing Madison's hair, she really wanted to play with my phone. I thought that it would be fine because I would be right there so she wouldn't be able to do anything too bad. Little did I know that she knew how to call someone.. I thought that she looked so cute holding the phone up to her ear, so I took this picture. Little did I know, she was actually calling someone! LOL Luckily I ended the call before anyone actually picked up. I absolutely love the natural lighting in this shot, and I didn't have to edit the photo at all! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Chop it Down!

2009-03-22T18:09:00.000-04:00

So today we were planning on cutting down one of the trees in our front yard, but we decided that our chainsaw was just too small. And just our luck, our neighbors were getting some trees cut down and we just asked the guy if he would cut down the tree with his 2 foot chainsaw! He said that once he finished that he would come right over and cut it. If any of you guys have never actually seen a tree fall down, it is seriously so cool! Well I took this shot with my telephoto lens so I didn't have to be all up close to the tree and stuff LOL! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Keep Your Peanuts to Yourself

2009-03-21T21:17:00.000-04:00

So today we went to Five Guys, which I LOVE! I know that the food there is horrible for you, but it is so good (once and while). I had this picture in my mind ever since I walked into the door, and I told myself that I would only take the picture once I finished eating. Once I finished I just had to walk over to the entryway, and I brought my camera really low down to the ground, to take the shot. i just loved how the sun was shining through the door, and making the chair and the peanuts silhouettes. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Class of '11

2009-03-20T22:29:00.000-04:00

So today was our sophomore class ring dance, and it was REALLY fun! I was wondering what I was going to be doing for four hours, but the time went by extremely fast! Everything about the dance was great, except I wouldn't brag about the food that we had. I mean I understand that they did have to feed hundreds of teenagers, but that was kind of ridiculous. I was SO excited to get my ring because I designed this ring online, and I was really getting tired of staring at the ring on a piece of paper, and I wanted to see it in real life. I am really happy with it! I got the Portuguese flag on one side with my name, and I got a CAMERA on the other side with 2011 on it. Well I hope you all had a great Friday, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

iFlickr!

2009-03-19T21:55:00.001-04:00

So today I decided to take a picture of something that I have wanted to photograph for a long time.. my phone! For this picture I turned off all of the lights instead of my one favorite handheld light that I use ALL the time. I love how the icons on the screen just pop out against the black on the left. On my screen you can see an application called 'Darkslide'. This application is absolutely amazing! This is one of the applications that I actually use every single day! It is the perfect application for a flickr addict like myself :D Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

I Feel a Little Sketchy

2009-03-18T21:39:00.000-04:00

So today I started brainstorming for my next sketchbook assignment, 'trees'. To show this in a photograph, I decided to flip to one of my older assignments in my sketchbook and I photographed that. I placed the book on my wooden lapboard, and placed the light really low on the ground so I could get that cool lighting effect on the paper. My favorite part of this picture is the texture on the paper and the contrast. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Best Friend..

2009-03-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

So today I went outside again.. of course! I decided to take my tripod out to see what I would get, and I ended up taking a picture OF my tripod LOL! I lied really low down on the ground so that I could get the grass in the bottom of the picture, and so that I could get a really nice perspective. When I uploaded the computer I just had to bump up the saturation so that I could bring out those blues in the sky. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Model? Of course!

2009-03-16T20:57:00.001-04:00

So today I decided that it was JUST warm enough to play outside for like half an hour with the kids. They always want to go outside, and when they actually do go outside they always get so excited! This was the first picture that I took today (of course, that always happens!), and I just loved it! This is such a modeling picture, and I just know that she will model in the future! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Wanna Play Fetch?!

2009-03-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

So today we went to Amy's house, and it was so nice outside! I started playing fetch with Princess because she just LOOVES it! I had to crouch down really low to get this shot because I wanted to get the shot from her eye level. I really like the lighting in this shot because it is natural light, and you all know how much I love my natural light! Well I hope you all had a great weekend, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Looking for Another Party?

2009-03-14T19:33:00.000-04:00

So today we had ANOTHER family party to go to.. these parties are getting a little ridiculous! Well this party was kinda fun, and at least it wasn't super long. I took this picture with my point and shoot camera, and I am pretty happy with the result. I wanted to show part of Tyler's face, and I wanted to show the party blurred in the background. I especially like the bokeh from the christmas lights around the beam! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Drive into the Distance

2009-03-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to go outside and play with the kids before they went home. We had a lot of fun and I got some great shots. For this picture I had them stand in the rocket ship, and pretend to drive. Then I told them that I thought I saw something in the garden. I got them to pose, and it made them a little curious. LOL Well I hope you all went outside today, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Wanna Bite?

2009-03-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

So today while I was doing Maddie's hair (cornrows today!), I decided to give her a piece of cantaloupe, and she kinda liked it. She ate like half of it and then decided that she didn't like it. This shot is completely lit by NATURAL LIGHT! I love the look of natural light because it just looks 10000 times better in a photograph, and it also makes post processing easier for the photographer. Another one of my favorite parts of this photo is her eyes. I love the shine from the window on her eyes! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Petal by Petal.. Leaf by Leaf

2009-03-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to go outside, once again, to take my photo of the day. I just can't wait until I can go outside in shorts and take pictures now! Well I was walking around the yard and this little red leaf on a rock caught my eye. It was really windy when I was taking the picture so the leaf kept flying away. I had to find a dip in the rock that would hold the leaf still long enough for me to get the shot. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

An Angel Sent from Heaven

2009-03-10T20:42:00.000-04:00

Alright so today I decided to take a picture of one of the little statues that we have on our front porch. I walk by this little thing at least twice a day, and I've never taken one single picture of it. Anyways, I decided to turn it at such an angle that it would catch some of the warm light from the inside of the house on one of its sides. My favorite part is the difference between each side of the statue. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Rock 'n' Roll

2009-03-09T17:23:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to go outside and take a picture of the rock wall next to our house. I wanted to get it at such an angle, that rock wall looked like it disappeared at a point. When I uploaded it to the computer, I bumped up the saturation to bring out the green in the rocks in the front. I also really like the depth of field where the rock in the front are really clear, and the ones in the back are really blurry, but you can still tell what they are. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Lonely Leaf

2009-03-08T19:30:00.000-04:00

So today I decided to go outside and take a picture because I haven't been around the yard with my camera in a while. I was walking down our sidewalk, and I saw this plant with almost nothing on it besides these tiny leaves. I really wanted to take this picture because I thought that it really displayed loneliness. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

I Command You!

2009-03-07T23:27:00.001-05:00

So today I felt that I needed to take a picture that had something to do with the computer or the television, because that is pretty much all I did today other than eat. I was actually going to leave the house to go out to dinner, but we just decided to stay home and have chinese. Of course I don't mind chinese food, but I kinda wish I left the house today.. LOL Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Classic Mirror Self-Portrait

2009-03-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

So today I decided that I needed to take another one of these classic mirror shots. I took one of them a while ago, and I had to use a long enough shutter speed that the picture was blurry. I like this one because it is clearer, although my face is slightly blurred because the picture is focused on the camera. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Innocence..

2009-03-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

So today I just had to do a photo shoot with the kids. I haven't done one in FOREVER and it just needed to be done. This was actually a quick shoot because Tyler really wasn't into it, and Madison doesn't really like to just sit there. Madison is however, a natural model. This was literally the first shot i took, and I didn't even tell her what to do. I really like this in black and white because it makes the 'innocence' really stand out. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

The Silence of Light

2009-03-04T22:13:00.003-05:00

I was walking around the house today when I saw this really nice angle of the chandelier in our dining room with the sunset behind it. I really liked how the chandelier was silhouetted against the sun. This picture barely needed any post processing at all! (Which is very surprising considering I have to edit almost all of my photographs) I have finally begun to learn about "White Balance", which should help me in my photography in the future, especially with my post processing. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

After a Hard Day..

2009-03-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

So today I really wanted to take some pictures of the kids because I haven't taken pictures of them in a while. I went in the family room and found madison cuddled up with a blanket. I took a picture of her on the sofa, and made it black and white on the computer. I felt that this was definitely black and white material because I really wanted her eyes to speak for themselves in the photograph. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Golden Fountain

2009-03-02T22:08:00.001-05:00

So today I had a need to take some water shots, so I went into the bathroom with my tripod and telephoto lens. I really like using my telephoto lens because it always gives a really short depth of field to photographs. To get the shot, I simply placed the camera across the bathroom and went over to the faucet to get it to drip. I had to get the timing perfect so that I could get the drips perfect. Once I got the rhythm down, it was pretty simple. I really like the golden tone in the faucet too, even though the faucet is really a silver color. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Textured Lake

2009-03-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

So today we went out for my brother-in-law's birthday to this restaurant on a lake. Just before dinner, I decided to grab my camera and take a picture of the lake through the window. I played around with the colors, and added a scratched metal texture. I really like the overall effect that these two techniques added. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Tea for Two?

2009-02-28T21:53:00.000-05:00

So today we went out to dinner with the family and we had a bunch of fun, and afterwards we went out for some coffee and cheesecake. I had some oreo cheesecake which was awesome! I grabbed my dad's coffee and placed it on the table in front of my so I could take this shot. I didn't want to place the glass directly in the center of the frame, so I moved it a little and let it get partially cut off. I like the result, especially the overall warm feeling. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Can She Feel Me?

2009-02-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

So today Madison was having so much fun playing with the cat through the door. I just had to grab my camera, and I know that Madison LOVES the camera. This was the first shot that I took. All I had to do was call her name and the first thing she does when she sees the camera is smiles. I just loved this shot because it was so sweet and natural! I had to make this photograph black and white because the colors were just a little too distracting. Black and white can make almost any picture better because it lets the photograph really shine through without any distractions. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"Let the light shine through.."

2009-02-26T00:13:00.000-05:00

So today was my class trip to NYC!! I just LOVE New York, and everything about it. We went to the UN and the Museum of Modern Art. I thought the UN was slightly boring, but I really liked MoMA. I took this picture while we were in the museum, and we were SO tired because we had been walking around the city all morning! We all just wanted to lie down in the middle of the museum and fall asleep! I just love the shadows and silhouettes in this shot! I thought that it was really cool that I was shooting strangers so I couldn't tell them how to pose or anything, so it was completely natural. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Draw the Curtain

2009-02-25T14:08:00.000-05:00

So today I was walking around the house with my telephoto lens again, and the weirdest thing caught my eye.. the shower curtain! I really liked how the sun was shining through the window and hitting the edges of the folds. I had to lean my camera against the door so that I could reduce the camera shake slightly. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Tie Up the Sun

2009-02-24T22:04:00.002-05:00

So today I decided to go outside once again.. call me crazy! I used my telephoto lens so I didn't have to go outside that far, and I could stay pretty much inside with the door open. I have felt like taking lots of pictures of the sunset for the past couple days, and today I actually get to use one of them!! I LOVEE how the sun created a line around the rope in this picture. Well I hope I come up with some more creative ideas pretty soon, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Another picture from today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/videpics/3308004442/

PS: I only have 65 days until my 365 project is done!! :D

Sun Bokeh

2009-02-23T21:54:00.001-05:00

So today I decided to go outside to take a shot because most of the snow has melted. I really liked how the sun looked so I laid on the grass and took a shot looking towards the shed. I wanted there to be a line of focus going across the grass, and that is what I got. I also really like the color tones in this picture because they are really warm, when it was actually really cold outside. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Over the Rainbow

2009-02-22T20:16:00.001-05:00

So I finally got this shot done! I had made three complete attempts to get this shot, and I don't mean three separate shots, I mean three separate days of shooting this subject. I finally just gave up and used the pop up flash on my camera which I didn't think would have worked. I then played with the levels in Aperture and the background slowly disappeared!! That is the most important part of taking pictures of smoke.. when taking these pictures, you want the smoke to contrast against a completely solid background, and that is what I got :D I took this picture into photoshop to add the rainbow color, and it was actually pretty easy! Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"Heaven is a large blue sky.."

2009-02-21T20:10:00.000-05:00

So today we went to church in the late afternoon because there was a mass dedicated to my uncle who recently passed away. Although it was freezing outside, I managed to get my hand out of my pockets and snap a picture while we were walking up to the door. I think one of the best parts of this picture is the blue sky. The blue is so vibrant and it has such an awesome contrast to the church building. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"Poets are the ones who write in words.."

2009-02-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

So today I decided to take another picture dedicated to one of my amazing flickr contacts. This was a really simple picture (to set up.. not take) because all I had to do was to grab a piece of paper with some writing on it so it didn't just look like I was writing on a blank paper, then I had to grab a pencil and pose. The hardest part of this picture was probably pressing the shutter release button and actually taking the picture. I had to pose with my right hand, and hold the camera and press the button with my left hand. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bring it Down!

2009-02-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

So today I decided to go outside and take a picture that had some rain in it, but that didn't happen because the rain had pretty much dried up by the time I got outside. I love the perspective of this shot because it really gives the shot some interest. I also really like the background, because although it is really blurry, you can still clearly see that it is a railing. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Snowy Days..

2009-02-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

So today is snowed AGAIN! This snow is getting really old.. This must be the year that is making up for all those years that it didn't snow a lot. I shot this through a window because I was NOT about to go outside to take this shot. I used my telephoto lens so that I could get in real close to the tree, and so there would be a short depth of field. Well I hope you all had a great day, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.