30 Day Challenge | Day 30

Well here it is, the last post. I didn't think I was going to get it done. I haven't taken a picture all day. In fact, I didn't get I could complete the challenge. I really thought I would have given up a couple weeks ago. Ok I didn't post every day, but I did better than I thought I would!

This afternoon as I drove by the tree out front I saw rain drops hanging of the Christmas light cord and I thought, oooooooh!! But it was POURING!!! So I left it, well that and I would have been late for school pick up. I'm glad I did wait because it stopped raining tonight and I got this interesting shot.

I shot it with my 50mm and a 20mm extension tube at 1.8 1/250 iso 3200

I like the bokeh the lights are giving. I'd like to try again with a tight aperture. Maybe another night.

30 Day Challenge | Day 28

Wow only 2 days left in the challenge!?! That means 2 more days till December. That means Christmas season my officially begin in the Funk house. And that I have 2 more days to get some advent calendars for the kids.

This was what we were up to today! No rain and not too cold, that means a perfect day to erect the lights of Christmas!

30 Day Challenge | Day 27

I snapped this one quickly with my point and shoot just before the girl's competition this morning.

Keira placed 5th in one of her dances and Kylie got 2 second places and a 4th!! It was a good day :)

30 Day Challenge | Day 25

Can't keep snow out of the photo of the day today! I did take a picture yesterday, I just never posted it. So here's 2!

My son loves eating snow. He sat out back just munching away this afternoon. When we told him not to eat the yellow snow, he simply answered, why?

My angel, making angels.

30 Day Challenge | Day 13

Its COLD!!!!!!!

30 Day Challenge | Day 21

I spent the afternoon hanging out with some real monsters. Literally.

I was helping my friend Terri at the Make It Show selling her Monster Friends.

These are a couple shots of my favs. I think one of the things I love about the Monsters, is how each one has a personality! And no 2 monsters are alike!

When I got home this was waiting for me!

30 Day Challenge | Day 20

Someone must have heard my complaint about a lack of flowers to photograph, so when Sean got home from work last night, there was a bouquet in his hands! So they are the subject of today's POTD!

This morning we went and visited Santa. Our friend who is a photographer and his wife make a weekend photo session with Santa. This is our 3rd year and it is so refreshing to see what pros our kids are with Santa. This is Kaylum's first year sitting alone with the man in red. While he's never cried, he was always a little unsure about him. But this year he went right up on his lap and told him what he wanted. A Go Diego Go backpack and Batman Bat Cave. The girls of course had no apprehensions getting on the big guy's knee. Kylie said she wanted an alarm clock and a tinker jewellery box and watch. Keira asked for a sparkly box, books and a video camera. Here's last year's pics.

30 Day Challenge | Day 19

Its an exciting Friday here!

First up: today's photo. It a Christmas Cactus flower. I think they are really interesting flowers. The way they are constructed it really interesting.

Next up, snow!

I was very exciting here this morning. Especially for Kaylum. He doesn't rememeber our big snow dump 2 years ago and with the purchase of new snow boots, he couldn't wait for snow! So this morning I could here him yelling IT SNOWED! And promptly asked if it was Christmas now. That was followed by him running upstairs to tell me it snowed. Telling me to come see, and also I should put on some pants, so I could come see the snow. He tasted it everywhere we went today.

Sampling the front yard snow

Sampling snow from under his boot. Yes, under his boot.

Next up: the girls! They both were awarded today at their school assembly for being excellent (but of course). Kylie for academic achievement and social responsibility, which translates to helping her peers. Keira's was for excellent reading and writing. Her reading is super and she is one of the top in her class!!

30 Day Challenge | Day 18

Well this is my 250 post to this blog. Its been running just short of 3 years.

I was trying to see what I could get with the texture of this peanut with my macro lens and the extension tubes. Unfortunately it was dark out so the natural light wasn't there for when I got in really close. My camera was creating a shadow and even with the flash going off it wasn't working.

So I created this guy, cuz that little string of hair at the top was calling for a face.

30 Day Challenge | Day 17

Oh I missed day 16. So today is a 2 poster. Normally I like macros of flowers but seeing they are all gone, I have moved on to fruit.

The focal point didn't fall in the right spot on this image but I thought the hair was rather interesting. It doesn't really look that hairy to the naked eye.

I also used some off camera flash with these shots. Just playing around. I was at a Joe McNally workshop last night so I'm a bit inspired.

30 Day Challenge | Day 15

Day 15 brings a picture of a picture! A picture of the beautiful canvases I got today of our family pictures. These pictures were taken by my wonderful friend Jillian Kirby at the end of October. I just love all the colours in them and they look so awesome hanging in my living room. Of course they look way better in person.

30 Day Challenge | Day 14

Day 14 is sparkly!

This is part of a decoration I have in my front hallway. I have a thing for sparkles this year. If its glittery, I want to take it home.

30 Day Challenge | Day 13

OK Day 13 didn't get posted yesterday but here it is.

We were out along the dyke at Mud Bay geocaching and I came across this Eagle. I was bummed that I only had my point and shoot but I still think its a good shot.

30 Day Challenge | Day 12

Yesterday's challenge didn't get done. So I made up for it today with 4 pictures.

The first 2 images are of a bamboo seed. I find them interesting to shoot cuz they are small and look so delicate and I like their shape. They are also really pretty with frost on them.

30 Day Challenge | Day 10

This gem of a car is real and undrive-able. It lives at a car wreckers not too far from our house. I get a kick out of it and my son has recently noticed it so every now and then he asks me to drive past it.

I took this is my point and shoot and played around with some actions from Totally Rad Actions. The top is straight out of the camera, before the actions were applied and the bottom is the finished product. I don't tend to use lots of actions and if I do, I use them sparingly and at low opacity's. But this challenge is to have fun and learn so bring on 100% opacity! LOL!

30 Day Challenge | Day 9

We shall call this one.........the experiment. Guesses on what it is?

I took this one with my 100mm macro lens with the 20mm extension tube attached.

30 Day Challenge | Day 8

What weird weather today! A little rain here, a little sun there, a whole lot of rain and then beautiful clouds and an all too early sunset. 4:30 is way to early for the sun to set.

I snapped this one while driving over the overpass that goes over the Langley By-Pass. Every time I drive over it I want to stop and shoot. One day I will have to walk up it. Especially when the moon is full! Its pretty awesome.

So yeah point and shoot while driving. Shhhhhhh don't tell me Dad. Oh, he reads this blog. HA!

And cuz its Monday and we need a chuckle, I am posting a second picture of a mug I came across at Potters yesterday.

30 Day Challenge | Day 7

Is it Day 7 already!?

Here is today's shot! A beautiful red cup. I love the Christmas season at Starbucks! All the yummy flavours. This is a gingerbread latte. I have been resisting the cranberry bliss bar. Which, isn't easy to do.

We were out geo caching and I just liked the way the light was coming through the cloud and this small split rail fence so I put the cup down and took a shot.

f 1.4 1/4000 iso 100

taken with my 5D and 50mm 1.4 lens

Happy Sunday!

30 Day Challenge | Day 6

Tonight's selection (and just under the wire I may add) is my stack of books on the bedside table. The top book is the one I'm reading, as is the bottom. The next 2 down I've started reading but never finished (not something I normally do, but hey, they are movies). The next 3 don't belong to me. I am pretty sure the Mr bottom 2&3 have been there a year. Of course other books come along that I would rather read and so these ones just live at the bottom of the pile. The only reason the photography book is at the bottom was for the picture. :)

I took this with my 5D 50mm lens at 1.4 (looooooooove 1.4) 1/16000 iso 1250 no reason for the high shutter or iso. Other than I cranked the iso cuz the only light on was the one on the table and I guess that provided ample considering how high the shutter speed was.

30 Day Photo Challenge | Day 5

Well its been a long week here at my house. Even if Monday was a Pro-D day, well maybe it should say more like BECAUSE Monday was a Pro-D Day. Anyways, I documented my tub-time.
I took this with my iPhone. The app I used was instamatic. Its like a hipstamatic knock off. But you can get better composition with instamatic, so I like it a little better.

Happy Weekend!

30 Day Challenge | Day 4

This is my Dad's old film camera. I guess you could say its the camera that started it all. It has a roll of film on it that I am slowly going through. Slowly.

I have picked up this camera many times in my life. The last time was about 9 years ago. I had no clue what a f stop was or the shutter speed and now that I do, well, I don't find taking pictures with it as satisfying as I do my digital camera. Still I can't wait to finish the roll and see what I get!

f 5.6 1/40 iso 1250

I ran it through photoshop to sharpen it. I used some the Totally Rad Action free b/w converter action, which is really no different than my own mix. I ran the TRA super fun happy action at 60% and then ran it through a Real Grain action. I thought given the camera's age, maybe it needed some grain.

30 Day Challenge | Day 3

I'm gonna give you 2 today. Only cuz my effort was half assed. I have a cold. That's my excuse.

Wasn't today just beautiful? This first image is the tree in our front yard, almost naked. I love some sun flare.

The second is my dog. I have a talent for catching dogs with their tounges out. HA!

Both images were taking with my 5D 17-40 L lens (which I am so glad I didn't end up selling).

f 14 1/1000 iso 1000

In my own experience, f14 is the best aperture to give you that awesomely star shaped sun. In case you were wondering ;)

f 14 1/320 iso 1000

30 Day Challenge | Day 2

Today's post comes direct from my backyard where there is a dark,damp and shady spot where I often find mushrooms growing. This little guy was part of a clump.

I have been experimenting with my newly acquired extension tubes and my wide angle and macro lenses.

This shot I took with my Canon 5D, 17-40 mm L lens and a 20mm extension tube. It was hand held and my neck now tells me I need a 45 degree view finder.

f 6.3 1/200 iso 1600 at 40mm

30 Day Photo Challenge | Day 1

Its been a super long time since I posted, almost 6 months!!! But I have decided to take a 30 day photography challenge put on by my friend Matt Hawkins.

So for the month of November I will be posting again!

Here's today's post. It comes from the Greater Vancouver Zoo. I took the kids today to wear off some sugar on their Pro D Day. We were the only ones there as it RAINED! Ok it wasn't when we got there but it did while we were there.

I took this picture with our new point and shoot camera. A Panasonic Lumix, it has 14 MP! Pretty impressive or a PS!

The image on the left I took w/ the flash, much by accident. I hate flash and I am not use to the automatic one on the camera. The image on the left I took without flash. Both images were taken on the automatic setting, because is only setting it has! LOL!