The Call: Halloween Parade — Jessica

I had a stunning picture of the fall leaves in my mind with an inspired meditation about how even though autumn looks messy with the leaves everywhere, when you pull back a bit you can see the pattern or order of the seasons…

But, as usual, it wasn’t in the hand I was dealt today. I did manage to get a few shots from the town’s big Halloween parade. Even though it’s big and long, they always manage to keep great order.

(This image was shot at 20,000 ISO and then de-noised in LR – not bad for 20,000!)

The Response: The Dealer — Jessica

I’m going to follow in Cheryl’s footsteps and say that a busy day of chores isn’t really an obstacle to a good shot. It just makes it harder and slightly more frustrating to accomplish.

The Call: Milkweed — Cheryl

On the way to Stella’s dance class, the weeds, leaves and bushes on the right side of the road were lit up beautifully, but I couldn’t stop or we’d be late. After getting Stella onto the dance floor, I rushed out, drove back the way I came, and discovered that the light had moved to the other side of the road and was hitting very little worth noticing. I found a spot to pull over in front of these milkweed plants and took a number of shots. I then drove past the studio, hoping to get something at my usual spot near the water, but the sun was hidden by clouds. A minute later, I stopped in the middle of the road to try a couple of shots of the lake, but had to get it in gear (literally) and move along. Going up the hill to the studio, I looked for the cattails that had been beautiful ten minutes previously. They were duds. So, I encountered obstacles, but created an image I’m pretty happy with nevertheless.

The Response: Falling for Wolfie — Cheryl

When I got out one of Dennis’s guitars for a still life setup, I had no idea that I’d shoot it with leaves and trees reflected through the window, but the shot turns out to be exactly what I was looking for.

The Call: Green Apple, Red Apple — Jessica

Sometimes I know exactly what I want to do when I get the camera out. Sometimes things get tweaked and improved as I work through the lighting and arranging. I’m always happier when it turns out exactly as I had envisioned. This one is about 90% there. I wish there was a bit of rim lighting (or some kind of definition) along the top of red apple. It’s just a bit too black there — even for my tastes (and that’s probably saying something!) : )

The Response: Apple Challenge — Jessica

Two Facebook friends started a black and white photography group the other day and a biweekly challenge to go with it. It took me two days but I got two shots that I was happy with and was able to complete the “apple” challenge.

Of course that was at the expense of many other things that probably should have been a slightly higher priority.

The Call: Faith on Display — Cheryl

Kim Klassen’s Be Still 52 is the first online class I’ve ever taken. I can’t imagine that I’ll ever complete it. I think that she’s at about the halfway mark (of a 52-week course), but I’m on lesson 5 or 6. I have learned a thing or two about creating still life images, but I don’t think I’m quite getting my money’s worth. I guess I have no one to blame but myself.

The Response: Apples for Baking

I’m not quite prepared to make a pie or dumplings (Dennis and the kids would love either), because the gluten-free flour jar is nearly empty. If the apples hold out, though, it could happen.

The Call: Campfire — Jessica

I was prepared last weekend to capture lots of lowlight photos — from s’mores to campfires. So, I’m going to post about that because I’ve been behind the ball since returning from camp. I was NOT prepared for yesterday and my plate was completely full. That’s why nothing got shot or posted. Today, there is much cleaning and organizing that MUST be done so that I won’t spend the rest of this week unprepared while my anger and frustration escalates…

The Response: Camping Wires — Jessica

I spent Saturday out in the middle of lovely Loudoun County, Virginia with about 250 American Heritage Girls from MD, WV, and VA. It was a lot of fun (and I’m not a big camper). This is a shot of the section of “Tent City” that we occupied. The ropes holding down the tent covers was as close I got to getting any kind of wire. I probably should have gotten some shots of the girls doing crazy things though, because many of them were quite “wired.” : )

The Call: Pick a Color — Cheryl

I’ve spent most of the week cleaning and rearranging my studio. I rediscovered what I already knew: I have a lot of stuff.

The Response: Close Enough to Touch — Cheryl

A month or two ago, I bought an extension tube for my camera. The reviewers on Amazon recommended a protective filter to go along with the tube, since it lets you get so near your subject, your lens might end up with a scratch or two. I didn’t bother with the filter, but I am impressed with the proximity the tube and my 50mm lens offer me.

The Call: Rainy Day — Jessica

I got as close to the car and rain as I dared. If I could have gotten nearer I could have gotten more detail in the rain. As it was, I was holding two grocery bags and a 12 pack of soda while trying not to get my phone wet or have the owner of the car ask me what I was doing.

The Response: Pay Attention! — Jessica

Attention to detail is not my strong suite. In fact, that is a giant understatement. It’s my biggest weakness. I think it affects the way I photograph.

You know, we’ve talked before, about how I need to have at least a partially developed idea of where I want to go with a photograph, and you, Cheryl, are able to jump in and pull a photograph out of your surroundings. Right?

This weekend I went on an evening photowalk through the National Mall in DC as part of the Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. And it was frustrating. Granted, monuments and architecture aren’t really my “genre” but what was really annoying was not being able to “see” the details to photograph. It was difficult to pay attention to the shots I was getting in order to progress to a better shot. I left with mostly mediocre shots that, once back home, I easily saw could have gone on to better shots if I had been paying attention. Maybe it was the pace — too fast? Or the darkness or a million other things. It boils down to lack of attention. My biggest bugaboo.