Looking Back #2

I have been going threw a lot of my older photos for lack of anything better to do becasue each day that goes by ... the ability to walk slips away just a little bit more .. and I have to be honest .. It ticks me off, but it scares me at the same time ... mostly because I am not sure what is causing the issues.

I have discovered that I have a bit of a love for black and white photography ... more so than color. I decided to take some of these photos I was looking threw and convert them to black and white and I have to say that I think I like some of them better minus the color.

The photos are going to be a bit darker ... This was intentional ... as was the fact that some of them may be a bit over sharpened. I am finding that I like a photo that is a bit sharper than most do.

My cousin is in her final year of photography school at a local community college and she has invited me to come with her to take a few black and white images with her film camera and she will than take me to her class with her and I will get a lesson in developing black and white film. I am really excited about this because I have been wanting to learn something ... and I am one of those people that learn better by doing things "Hands On".

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving ... and until next time ... take care.

The Blues ...

I swore that I would not take this trip in this blog, but I cannot help but to because I am just me and I cannot be anything else and the sooner I deal with it ... The better off I will be. I seem to be going threw some kind of sadness or something that I am beginning to find really disturbing because I really cannot stand feeling that way .. It makes the daily challenges even worse.

I am sitting here at 6:00 am and trying to figure out why I cannot sleep. I went to bed at midnight and I was laying there wide awake by 3:00 am. I generally do not have a lot of trouble sleeping except for when something is bothering me.

I have not been feeling all that wonderful for about a month now. I got really sick at the beginning of Nov. and I got over everything but the ear infection ... and than the real winter has not shown it's self ... and I have discovered a whole new pain that I am really trying to deal with ... and I think it might be winning because I have not been in all that wonderful of a mood either.

I knew I had arthritis in my left knee after my surgery this past summer, but I did not realize the extent of it until this past week. I think I could have easily hurt the first person that pushed me to the breaking point and not even cared about it. I have been dealing with the arthritis in my right leg and ankle since my accident that caused this issue in 2001, and I have learned to live with it, but now the issue with left knee is added ... and I really do not know which way is up or down. I talked to my orthopedic doctor and he has given me a medication for arthritis pain to try to see if it will help so I can get threw day to day activities .. Time will tell.

I don't know .. Maybe it is just the pain level doing a number on me, but I cannot even walk around enough to do what makes the world right again ... Take pictures ... I may have to find myself a new winter hobby after we get moved into the new apartment ... because if this keeps up the way it's going ... The camera may get a long winters break.

Tombstones #3

This will be the final post to cover the photo challenge from the community at (NYFalls.com). I have enjoyed this challenge more than any of the other challenges I have taken part in. I got really excited about the history lessons behind the people whose names are written on the markers I photographed.

This last outting for me ... sent me on a discovery of my photo editing software (Photoshop Elements 6) and back to my favorite type of photography .. Black & White. I am discovering things like Color Correction (The process of adjusting the amount of different colors in an image.) Color Temperature (The amount of Red, Green and Blue light emitted by a particular light source.) Sharpening (Applying an image-correction filter inside a photo editor to create the appearance of sharper focus.)

To see more images you can go to my flickr site.

Looking Back

I have been sitting here today trying to figure out what to write about as I have been trying to pack for our big move next month. I have grown sick of this nasty little apartment we have lived in for quite a few years now ... and it is time for a change.

I got out a CD that had images on it from 2007 and compared them to what I have been doing and I think I might actually be learning something about the way I take photos and edit them. I know I am no where near a professional, but I think it could be a lot worse also.

Taken 4/16/2007

Taken 6/12/2007

Taken 6/22/2007

Taken 8/21/2007

Taken 11/5/2007

Taken 11/25/2007

Taken 12/13/2007

Taken 12/31/07

The subjects that I am interested in have not changed, but the way I take them has. I take more time with them before I shoot them. I think about what it is I am looking for when I Shoot them, and most of all .. What I want them to look like when I am done with them because I use them to hang on the walls in my apartment and to give to family and friends. I have been thinking about putting some of them into frames and donating them to a program where I work that will give them to sick people. I need a bit more information before I decide on that however.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

I guess I feel like talking about me today. I have not been out to take any photos since it turned cold ... I discovered new pains that were not there last year ... and it making walking a really big problem. I hope I get used to it like I have with my ankle or it is going to be a really bad winter.

It has turned out to be another one of those un-productive days at work again because my work is Internet based and if the Internet is slow ... I am slow. It drives me crazy because I cannot reach the goal I want ... Which today is to get this huge pile of mail data entered and ready to pull for processing, and I do not see that happening ... and so far it has not.

I work as a Client Service Representative in the ROI field, and I like the work for the most part, It gets a bit repetitive sometimes ... but all in all it is not a bad job. I am just glad that it gives me something to do, because I would go out of my mind without it.

Before my accident in 2001( I dislocated my ankle from my leg bone, and fractured the fibula and the medial malleous). I used to work a full time job and a part time job just to keep myself busy and away from the miserable relationship I had myself in. I told myself being un-happy was better than being alone ... until I realized it was worse. I could at least deal with myself ... and that some days is a real challenge all it's own.

I spent 8 years in a relationship that really only lasted 4 years. He was slap happy and I could not deal with it. The first time ... I thought he was drunk and he really did not mean it. He did it again after he had already broken my arm and I realized ... It was time to end it. He was not happy about ending it so he would quit his job to make me keep him around. He took advantage of my kindness ... and finally one day I just snapped. He threatened to kill me ... and I just looked at him and said "Oh really ... Good Luck trying." Before he had time to react I had grabbed my car keys and ran out the door as fast as my ankle would let me, jumped in my car and left. (Thank god I always carried a pair on extra clothes in my car complete with back up shoes because I did not even grab any shoes).

I never should have let myself be in that situation in the first place. I saw it growing up and swore I would not live that way as an adult ... and I realized that night, I was doing the opposite of what I wanted to do. I knew I would not go back. I tried everything I could to get him to leave so I would not have to give up everything I worked for ... I even tried getting involved with someone else ... Which did not good. He just got drunk and beat the guy up for touching me. I decided the only way out was to give up everything I had worked for and just go.

I had meet someone else and he gave me that opportunity to just go. He said I could come stay with him until I could get back on my feet. Here is it 5 years later ... He is my husband. I am glad I meet him because he has shown me that life does not always have to be a bad thing ... and good things can come out of it ... if you really want them.

I am not always this open with complete strangers, but I decided that it was time to just be myself and let my reads know a little bit about me .. and what makes me who I am. I think I turned out okay ... I could be worse ... I could be that person I resent the most in life, but I am not and I am glad I am not. I hope I never turn out to be.

I have turned to photography as an outlet for all of the disasters that have taken place in my life and it seems to help me focus on the brighter side of things, and to help me grow with the things I learn about it ... I just hope I can get my mind to retain some of the things I have been reading about and learning about threw various sources ... a couple of my readers included!

Tombstones #2

I was thinking about people in my life that were important to me and tried to associate them with the current photo challenge that I am taking part in within the community I am in, and I learned something new about my grandfather that died in 2003 and I found that he was a WWII veteran. My other Grandfather was also a war vetera, but he is resting in the town my brother lives in and it was not in the budget to travel this weekend, but I am hoping I can get out there before the end of November.


I got out to get a few more photos of tombstones this past week. I am really getting into this photo challenge for some reason. I started it just to try it, and as I learn about some of the people who are in these resting places ... I want to shoot more and learn more. I still want to get out and shoot some black and whites of some of these places. I went to see my father on Friday and he told me about a place on Connecticut Hill that has people who have been resting since the 1500's. We are going to plan a trip out there because I would get lost in that place. Here are some more of the photos I shot while I was out.

A Cornell University Professor

Just a stone that I thought was beautiful

A Tribute to the fallen soilders of this area

A small place on a back country road that appears abandoned of care

Tombstones

I went on a little exploration trip today to see if I could find figures in history that have died and where they are resting. This is a photo challenge project I am currently working on within my community of photographers. I found today to be a good day to go because I am feeling a bit under the weather emotionally ... and being out shooting helps me bounce back to a point that I can deal with .. are my finds today.

Experimentation

I have been working with a few images that I really liked, but seemed really dull (lacking color mostly), and Here are the results.

This photo was taken down stream from Ithaca Falls

This image was taken in a small cemetery in Enfield, NY

This image was taken at the entrance trail down to Ithaca Falls

I am finding by experimenting with the different features of my photo editing software I can produce some very decent photographs that I can keep and use to better my work with. I hope it is starting to show, I know I can see a difference in my work.

Saturation

I have found threw image editing that a photograph can change dramatically. I share my photos in a community of other photographers ... I am just a beginner ... and most of these people are pretty much professionals in my eyes, They are wonderful people and offer great advise and suggestions to make my work better.

This image is from a previous post, I changed the Saturation to make the colors pop out better at the suggestion of another photographer ... and I find that I like the image much better with the brighter colors. I am going to have to learn more about this subject. There is a lot to learn to be a photographer ... I wonder if I am trying to go over my head?

Random Outing #1

I found myself in one of my favorite places again this past week ... I needed sometime to just be alone without all of my worries and troubles, So I went to the Cornell Plantations. I seem to like this one place within the plantations to just sit and relax.

I am not sure what causes so much peace for me at this spot, but I love it no matter what time of the year. I usually go out to this place when life becomes a bit too much to take ... and I was just having a bad day ... So I grabbed my camera bag and went out the door to a short 5 mile drive from home. I decided to mess around with my Photoshop Elements 6 program today and found this feature that would let take a black and white image and use infrared on it. I think it is kind of awesome. I have seen other photographers use it, and I liked the out come of their work, So I choose a couple of photos and gave it a try.

This is not my favorite of the two images I tried using this feature on, but I like it none the less. I am not an expert on this program or it's features, but I think if I keep using it and keep working with it I might get better.

A New Start ...

I am back again ...

I had started another blog that I had going for about a month before I accidentally hit the Delete button ... Opps! Only I would do something like that. I am going to try to re-construct all of the previous blogs I had within that blog ... That back up hand written system will come in handy after all.

I have not really had too much time to get out and take some photos this week. The change in the weather from hot to cold makes a major change in how much mobility I have. I have metal in one of my ankles and when it gets cooler ... My pain level goes from tolerable to not so tolerable.

I love family gatherings ... mostly the ones where I get to see my Grandmother ... Of all the people in my life ... She has been the only one that has been completely honest with me about things my parents should have told me. This photo is of my grandmother and my precious niece ... Two very wonderful people who hold a special place in my heart.

I guess I will tell you all a little bit about me for this first blog. I got married to a wonderful man in August of 2005. I knew the day I meet him I would marry him at some point in our lives. The major attraction was his sense of humor, I had never meet anyone that could make me laugh so hard with just one sentence ... the rest just happened a long the way.

I enjoy taking pictures ... I am far from being an expert, but I find I am madly in love with it. I love being outdoors with just my camera and my tripod, I also enjoy art, reading, writing, watching movies, family gatherings and hanging out with our 3 crazy cats. I am a pretty laid back person unless provoked ... than all bets are off.


In photographing things ... I enjoy nature scenes the most ... If it is outdoors ... It is fair game for the camera. One of my favorite places to go is Chittenango Falls State Park in Chittenango Falls, NY. This waterfall is amazing. I cannot hike the trail to see the whole impressive flow, but ... I can enjoy it from the top and every time I go to the Syracuse Area ... I stop by it along the way. I prefer the digital photo to the film. Here is a little bit about Digital Photography.

I really do not have anything to share at this point, but I thought I would re-direct my readers to the new home.