So Long, Sweet Summer

The one criticism I've always heard from non-Californians is the fact that there aren't seasons here - just perfect warm, sunny skies (sans-humidity, thank you very much).  I'm not sure if that's held true the last few weeks where we've hit 95, humid, and thunderstorms, which have wreaked havoc on our roadways and commutes... but I will say that the only sense that summer is coming to an end is the fact that I'm back to the stacked school and career routine next week. Before I dove into pre-term assignments and optimizing my calendar with syllabi, I did make it out to the coast to capture those summer rays to dress up my walls and give me something to list for when I'm in the throes of studying and winter.  I also managed to get in some practice with sports photography at a work kickball tournament team-building, but I won't be posting those at the request of the subjects.  Suffice to say that harsh lighting, shade, and moving subjects and spectators were all interesting and new challenges.  I definitely think the 55-200mm kit lens wasn't necessarily right for the challenge - while it's a great generalist lens to have for 80% of situations, it's not amazingly fast to get those mid-motion images with sweet, creamy bokeh.  In any case, sports photography really isn't my bag as I'm definitely the casual fan who appreciates specific athletes (paging Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch, and Ronda Rousey) as opposed to the fanatic who obsesses over fantasy stats. Not to mention it adds the whole new level of expenses in procuring decent seats/position for great shots to an already pricy hobby.

Active Shooting Hours: 5 Review Hours: 2 Hours To Date: 278

Nighttime in Waikiki

Yet another throwback post - so fitting considering I'm traveling right now for work. As much as I love taking pictures with my iPhone (which admittedly has a much better camera than my first digital point & shoot), there are shots you just can't get with a phone camera. This series, taken from my hotel room balcony, would not have come out like this without the DSLR. And the wide angle lens really takes you there and plants you on that balcony in that moment.

I love these images - smooth and rich colors, capturing a primarily serene beachfront with the hustle and bustle of Waikiki night life just peeking in from the edges. It's exactly how I felt looking out from that balcony. Granted, these took time and patience since each shot was exposed for 5+seconds and I experimented with various apertures and shutter speeds. Not to mention, sacrifice - a few of the shots are from 3 in the morning. While I didn't plan to wake up then, it was the first thought that occurred to me when I woke up and I ended up fiddling around for close to an hour taking pictures instead of sleeping. My boyfriend woke up and thought I lost it because I was sitting outside on the chilly balcony hunched over my camera and obsessing over shots. To a large degree, these remind me why I love traveling - seeing other parts of the world and finding these serene moments.

Active Shooting Hours: 2 Review Hours: 1 Hours To Date: 221

A Christmas Light Study

I am woefully behind in posting, though I've managed to allocate shooting time over the past few weeks. I figure I might as well start posting up to date and then posting relevant Throwback Thursdays to catch up or else I'll always be living in the past. My gift to myself this year for Christmas was a Special Edition Lensbaby Spark lens with pre-cut aperture disks. It's a fun selective focus lens... focusing is controlled by squishing the lens, which looks sort of like a spring. There's definitely a learning curve for me to ascend, but it is a fun and artsy fartsy lens. The pre-cut aperture disks feature fun shapes like stars and sunbursts that can be used to create an intentional and aesthetic blurring (bokeh effect) when the subject is intentionally out of focus.

TL; DR: Fun Christmas photo toy

More Lights

Active Shooting Hours: 2 Review Hours: 1 Hours to Date: 208