I'm still here!

Just a note to say I'm still around - I've just been rather sick for the last couple of weeks and have been so lacking in energy or mental awareness that I've only just picked up my camera again!  Still not 100% but I made it out to Bosworth Battlefield this morning and took a picture of a puddle as proof...  There's also a pic of a weed-type plant that caught my eye...

Happy Bloody Christmas...

Just to show how the festivities go on and on in our household...

How did I take it?

Two lights to front, one on each side.

Camera on tripod in middle, set to shoot with ten second delay.

Me running backwards and forwards to grab newspaper and get in position.

My hair suffered considerably under that hat.

Brenda Photo Challenge...

Self- portrait in black and white...

Almost forgot about this!  Had to do a very quick photo and an even quicker edit :O)

Portrait of the Artist...

Click here for more participants.

Sisters...

Spent a couple of hours this morning taking photos of my big sister Cathy (not to be confused with my friend Cath...).  We're pretty much opposites - she's blonde (allegedly...), I'm brunette; she's 5'2", I'm 5'9"; she says tomato, I say... no come to think of it I say tomato too - so we do have something in common after all.

The Weekend in Black and White...

Posky...
He's almost 18...
A vet once called him 'a big hairy guy'...
Beautiful, friendly and a great companion...
He's now on medication for his kidneys and suffers from arthritis...
We love him to bits.

For more photographers who see things in black and white click here

The Weekend in Black and White...

We took advantage of the long Bank Holiday Weekend to go out for breakfast... my camera went too (as if it wouldn't).

David adding sugar to his coffee... 

He adds milk too which I am aghast at...

Have I mentioned how fussy I am about coffee?  And tea?

I'll shut up now.

Nomming implements...

Linking to The Weekend in Black and White.

Fun with the fish eye...

A couple of shots 'hot of the press'.  Mrs P helped me test out the fish eye filter this morning (think she misunderstood what it was).  There's a knack to using it - you have to get the main subject at the right angle and the quality of the image does drop off towards the edges, but you can get some fab effects with it.  Am really looking forward to trying it out on trees, tall buildings, people's faces etc etc etc.

Mrs P feeling extremely warped...

And with an infra red effect too...