Friday Photo...

It's been a busy week... :O))

WW - I don't do resolutions but...

I'm going to try and link up with Project Alicia each week for Wordless/Wordful Wednesday.  If you haven't been to Alicia's blog yet then please check it out - her photos are gorgeous.  I am also incredibly jealous of the new lens she got for Christmas.

Back to my non-resolutions... This year I want to take my photography further, do it better and do it more (the motto will be LCA or 'Less Crap Photos'), and to share what I learn as I go along.  I have two pet photo shoots lined up which I am very excited about - and if they go well then who knows?  To make me get my camera out every day (it's not a chore!) I am also taking part in a photo a day challenge on Flickr.

Enough words - on with the photos...  

Macro of forks...

Finally found the knack of using a much smaller aperture for macros to get more in focus - doh! This was taken in black and white with the camera on manual using a macro filter (x10) on the lens.  I've got lazy and relied a lot of Aperture Priority mode to shoot so am trying to shoot more in manual.

Olives...

It's become a bit of a tradition for David and myself to go for an Italian meal over the New Year holiday.  Taken in b&w again - wide aperture to throw the background out and create bokeh. Am loving the way the light from the window shines on the oil.  I might try cropping this differently to make it conform to the rule of thirds - (but sometimes breaking the rules can be fun...).

Yet more of the olives in b&w...

David makes an assault on the olives.  I like the sense of movement in this and the angle.  What I don't like is that distracting large rectangle of light at the top and the bottles to the left.  It's amazing how many times you compose a shot but then forget to look around the whole frame to see what you don't want there, just focussing on what you do want.  Again I might try cropping this.

Dusk...

The colour and the lights were what struck me about this scene, so to emphasis these aspects I dropped on one knee, de-focussed the lens and waited for some obliging pedestrians to walk by.  I also used exposure compensation and underexposed it to stop the camera trying to make it much lighter than it really was!  I think the blurred figures help make this shot - they add scale and movement.

Tree with lights...

I love the lights in this tree - and the way it's silhouetted against that beautiful sky.  What I might do is clone out that lamp on the right and the cable on the tree.

And finally...

Detective Dave on the case...

This was a fun shot we tried.  We've been watching the Danish police series The Killing over Christmas (which is brilliant!  More twisty-turny than a twisty-turny thing!) and I loved its dark and atmospheric camera work.  As an homage to it I got David to kneel down in front of our car with the headlights on so he was backlit.  Am loving those shadows.

Cats on Tuesday...

A week when Posky thought of entering a witness protection programme and would only appear incognito...

...or with his back to the camera

A sulk - I haz it...

Mrs P did this...

'This iz ma happy face...'

Pepper showed her cultural leanings by posing in front of a poster for Antony & Cleopatra...

'I'd actually prefer The Tasting  Taming of the Shrew...'

Whilst Charlie was very busy...

'Letz me go you insane man!!!'

This is him having escaped the clutches of David...

This is his 'I'm slightly deranged' look...

... and this is his 'I'll cut you!' look.

For more cats up to no good visit Gattina's Cats on Tuesday.

Memories, Dreams & Reflections...

It doesn't seem twelve months since I was putting together last year's M,D & R!  The time has flown.

Me...

I'm the one who doesn't have the cute nose and long ears.

I love you...
Hamlet the play - my favourite.  And a mention
for the husband is needed as well :O)
(Kudos to David for being game when I suggest he dress
as the Prince of Denmark and stand in the garden at night for
a photo shoot).

Still Laughing... #1I couldn't breathe for laughing when I was taking this.Cath could not get the timing right on the jump, henceshe was going down when Helen was going up!

Still Laughing... #2Not a lot I can say about this really :O))(Cath, I'm sorry, but if you're going to bend overlike that in the vicinity of someone who iscarrying a camera then you'reasking for trouble!!)

Winter Wonderland...If only!  I'm disgusted to report there has beena distinct lack of the white stuff this year.This is the Swan Fountain in Stratford last December.
Friends...Cath and Helen madethe year a lot more insane :O)

Birthday...

This is a pic of Pepper's birthday treat

and fake birthday cakes.

I was Inspired...Many, many things inspire me, a mood, the way the lightfalls, a colour. The top shot was inspired byan idea in a photography magazine, and the bottom one by a prompt fromKat Eye Studio to create a square image.

Spring Fever...Well actually it's a ladybird on a pansy - I couldn't think of anything else!


Travel...It was only an hour or so to drive there from home,but Trentham Gardens was a revelation, like steppinginto Italy.

Summer Days...

Taken at Snowshill Lavender Farm in the Cotswolds.

Beautiful place, beautiful day.

A Day in My Life...
It usually starts with me in the kitchen, dealing
with a cat or four, maybe taking a photo, writing a list to remember what
I have to do/get for dinner that night, and eating breakfast on the run.
That's before I go to work.
(I have no knowledge of that bottle of wine in the background!).

All smiles...
Cath happy to have an extremely large cappuccino.

Autumn Harvest...

Getting a photo of Hay Bales

became a bit of an obsession this year.

I was much taken to giving David nervous breakdowns by 

suddenly yelling 'Stop the car!'

when passing likely looking locations.


... and another Autumnal shot.
I love those colours and textures.

Family or Home...
David and Posky (Posky here standing in for all four cats
who are too temperamental to sit for a group portrait).

Celebrate...

This is Pepper and this photo of her

won a first prize in a local photo competition.

Catnip all around!

Let's do it Again...

Go see the Snow Leopards.

Absolutely gorgeous animals. Love the

way it's trying to play with its food here :O))

I Miss You...

Little Ben the bunny who died at Halloween,

(which David says does show a certain style).

Beautiful...
Raindrops on my Acer...

... and trees in the mist.

Dress Up...
Who could forget Charlie and Posky in their 'Bad Boy' vests?
Or Posky and Pepper going trick or treating in their Halloween capes?
(Do you realise how much this type of photo costs me
in cat treats?!?).

Macro...

Raindrops on a chive

(not defying gravity - I turned it 90 degrees to puzzle people) :O)

Holidays...

Nothing says Christmas like a pumpkin with a hat on :O)

... or the famous Christmas mugs complete with candy canes.

(After I bought those canes I discovered that they weren't suitable

for veggies so had to give them to Helen.

How that woman has a tooth left in her head is a bit of a mystery!).

How about dressing up your camera for Christmas?

This is my old 400D, which came in handy when the 7D

had to be rushed to camera ER and have an emergency op.

I like to think that someone who looks like George Cloony

tenderly ministered to it :O))

My Favourite...

I find it very hard to judge my own photos after

having looked at them for so long.  Quite often it won't be
the best shot technically that I like, but the one that suggests a mood
or atmosphere. I've already

shared quite a few 'faves' above so here are a few more.

This is Mrs P and her bauble.

... and looking a bit dramatic.

Deserted cafe on a cold Autumn morning.

Graveyard angel with cobweb...

...the Church at Batsford.

... and a weed at dawn!

Just Because... So There!

He's Posky, he's my boy, and this makes me smile :O)

Hopes & Dreams...

Photographically it's been a good year - a charity used my image for 

their Christmas card, and some of my cat photos won prizes.
My pic of the dandelion was an Editor's choice,
I took part in the Photobox24 Live! challenge
(which was brilliant and I heartily recommend it), and our local paper

asked to use some of my photos in an article.

So I'd just like to build on that really, do the best I can

and have fun with it.

A happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2012 to all - and thanks for all the lovely comments. xx