Looking Back To Go Forward

Twenty-eleven is now just a thing of the past.  Looking back on the past I wonder if I have improved on anything?  Have I become better person?  I know that I didn't keep any of last years resolutions therefore I resign from making any for the new year.  Goals, are they really all that the write-ups say they are, are they really that important to have jotted down?  I think not.  I am just going to take one day, one hour at a time this new year.  It's time to STOP, look around, become familiar with what's going on around before it gone.
I really dislike schedules, to much like work.  I much rather just take life as it comes and learn to deal with it.

Added to the Little Red House  for their Mosaic Monday photo challenge.

Week 31 Turn On The Hose! Good to WOW {SOOC}

It's been sometime since I got involved in a weekly photo challenge.  There are quite a few challenges on the web now days, so many types to choose from.  I really enjoy those challenges that MAKE you reach out of your comfort zone and have you learning and practicing new photo skills.
 Jill Samter and Ashley Sisk have put together not only a weekly photo challenge, complete with a weekly theme, they are also teaching and sharing their photo editing.  IMHO, it's always good to learn a new way of dressing up or finishing a somewhat ordinary photo and turning them into something extraordinary . 
This weeks theme was - Turn On The Hose -
Would have been fun to have some little ones to photograph as they were playing outdoors in the summer heat, running and jumping through the hose to cool off.  But not this week.  No little ones around and the air temp is just a bit to cool for summer hose activities.

I have had to resort to the good of sprinkler on the flowers theme.

 Taken facing west with that early morning sun to my back.  Metered two clicks to the positive side of zero.
I used my 300mm lens and zoomed all the way in so that the background would be mostly blurred out and not distracting.
My camera settings are  - Manual Mode (as that is the only way I know how)
f/5.6 @ 1/640 ISO 320

I can tell that I have lost some of the details are lost as well as some of the petal being over exposed.

Thursday I will be sharing how and what I did to fix my photo problems.

1.12.11 Shoot and Edit: - Winters Fragile

Part 2 of Shoot and Edit weekly photo challenge.  A great way to learn and practice you shooting and editing skill.
This week's suggested photo theme was to 1st capture a shot that in some way says "WINTER". 
Do you recall my first SOOC shot that I posted Monday?  If you missed it, here it is once again SOOC -

Here is how I shot this photo I had placed a black piece of cardstock behind the cluster of snowflakes.  By doing so I hoped to eliminate the distractions in the background and help the details in the snowflakes stand out a bit more.
I know just by looking that this is under exposed, aren't snowflakes suppose to be on the white side?  The white and black through my metering out the window.
So here is my editing procedure to help fix up and bring back the snowflakes details.

• Bring the photo into ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) changed the camera profile to vivid
• Set white balance with eyedropper tool selecting what was suppose to be white
• Pulled up the exposure and added in a bit of fill

Here is what the photo looks like now in ACR

There wasn't much more that I could do in ACR so it was not time for Photoshop CS4.

• Crated a duplicate layer (ctrl J) of my background layer.  Ran noise-ware program to get rid of the pixely look in the black areas. Noiseware that I use is a plug in for Photoshop put out by Imagenomics, it's great stuff.
• Rotated image
• Cropped the image to 12x12

The rest can be found by looking at the photo layers file -

• Adjusted color balance
• Adjusted level, pulled the black and white sliders in
• Adjustment Black and White layer
• Adjustment Layer Black to White Gradient Map
• Adjustment Hue/Saturation toned toned down the load colors
• New adjustment layer painted on background color over sun spot
• Adjustment layer levels pulled in the black and white more
• Ran noiseware again
• Added text
• High pass sharpen

All the adjustment layers were added by clicking on the little half black half white ball.
Here is my new after edit photo -

Now let compare all 3 photo one after the othere:

Nikon D90 - 85mm Macro - Manual Mode - CW - Auto WB - f/16 @ 1/25 - 640ISO

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Greeting friends.  I hope you don't mind that I call you that. 
I hope your Sunday is going great for you.  That you have been able to rest, get rejuvenated or be able to do whatever you do on you Sunday.
Sunday services are always a great rejuvenate-r for me.  Love to meet with friends and family and be reminded how I am suppose to be.

You might be wondering why I am posting the following photos again.  Well I will tell you.
About 4 or so months ago I came across a great little photo site.  This gal shares some amazing photos as well as editing tips. 
I had desided to incorperate her photo challenge in with my 365 photo challenge. 
I posted these photos on the day that I took them, now I am puttuing them into a collage for the scavenger hunt.
BTW putting them into a collage makes my weekly photos much easier to put into book form.

Stories behind the photos can be found at the following links -

This Is Me

Resolution

Treasured

Innocence

Primitive

The above photos were take not only for my 365 for 2011 but also for Scavenger Hunt Sunday that Ashely Sisk features.

New Years Resolutions

Are New Years Resolutions really all that they are cracked up to be?  Does anyone ever really keep theirs?
I thought about what things that I got accomplished last year, took some doing but this is what I came up with

1. Got out of my comfort zone and visited some local areas of interest
2. Fixed one sit-down meal that both myself and DH enjoyed
3. Visited and got to really now my neighbors
4. Did one random act of kindness a month for a total stranger
5. Spent quality time with the grand kids
6. Planted, grew, harvested and ate from my own garden patch
7. Cut down on the spending 
8. Down-sized my areas of interest
9. Beautified my surroundings (painted outside of my home)
10. Teach, share and mentor others interested in learning a new photo skill

Now what ten areas do I hope to work on in the New Year?  What are my goals, areas that I resolve to see some improvement in?

1. Get in better physical shape
2. Eat more nutrisious meals, get rid of the junk food
3. No more soda drinks
4. Read more, study more, get to know my scriptures 
5. Continue one monthly random act of kindness to a total stranger
6. Down-size my storage areas
7. Improve on my photography style
8. Continue to get out of debt
9. Work on becoming a gentler, more patient, kinder individual one that others will really want to associate with.
10. Get involved with my extended family members, cousin reunion, get one planned.

It's just the second day of the New Year, I still have time to get plans drawn.  2011 appears from my perspective to be a very interesting one.

NOTE:  To all those that have been following and reading my blog for the past year, I thank you.  I don't know who you are but to know that I have at least a couple people that have actually dropped in and left a comment.  It means a lot to me as I find myself going several days without speaking a word to anyone.

Taste of Old Time Magic

I have a fond memory of Christmas past.  My mother, gone now but not forgotten, would stir up the most mouth watering treats.  This time of year I find myself hunting for and cooking up my moms favorite treat.  Thanks mom for being such a cooking mentor. 
One such treat that was only made and shared at Christmas time was my mom Spiced Nuts.
I've seen several knocks of this recipe but they just don't compare to the original.  Don't know where of when mom got this recipe or how long it's been in the family.
Today was my first time trying to duplicate what my mother did with ease.
Scared and nervous as I am more a cookie and pie maker.  Candy making is not something that I do well.
I always remember mom making her Spiced Nut Recipe with walnuts.  I decided to mix things up a bit and use not only walnuts but pecan and almonds.
I am so proud of myself!  This Christmas recipe couldn't be easier.  Even I could do it with success.
Here is the finished product.  So very addictive.  So very sweet.  So very easy.

Now if you are wanting to make up a quick treat for Santa instead of the usually cookies, here is what you do -

Spiced Nuts

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup boiling water

1 tsp white corn syrup

1 tble cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry ground ginger

1/8 tsp dry ground cloves

 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups shelled whole nuts (your choice) placed in a very large mixing bowl

Add sugar, boiling water, corn syrup, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in a medium sized sauce pan.  Stir till sugar and spiced are dissolved over medium heat.  Continue cooking without stirring until syrup reaches the thread stage on a candy thermometer. (230 degrees F)

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the mixture over the nuts that you have in the large bowl.

Mix, fold and stir nuts and syrup mixture until the mixture turn to sugar on the nuts.  This will take a couple minutes, just keep stirring.  Once nuts are sugar covered pour out on to a lightly sprayed cookie sheet, separating large nut clusters.  Cool, package and share.

Sound harder that it really is.  I double the recipe and it works out great.

Enjoy and have yourself a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Entered in the following Holiday Photo Challenges.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Please Help Me Win

Click Here to VOTE @ Live Every Moments Blog  

Vote for Barb Phillips Photography Please

I need some votes ASAP!  So I am calling on all my family, friends and fans to help me win.

Remember my photo that I entered in "Live Every Moments" photo Challenge?

Here it is again -

If you could help me then please once again here is where you vote   HERE @ Live Every Moments Blog.  Vote for Barb Phillips Photography and help me win this great looking necklace

 Wouldn't it just be the greatest little gift not to mention how great it would look around my neck helping to cover-up my cancer scars.

liven life to the fullest

Are you too busy to really enjoy liven life?  I think not, I love my love and all that I’ve been given. 
My children have classified me as being a bit on the crazy eccentric side.  “MOM!” they say “can’t you just act your age?  Gee Wiz.” 
My grandkids, on the other hand thing they have the COOLEST Grandma ever. 
I’m not afraid to get out and ride the board, where does their dad think he learned to ride.
Not afraid to get out and get dirty, my mud pies are the bomb. 
I’m afraid of a good water fight as long as I get to handle the water flow.
In fact, I’m not even afraid of a little cold weather, in fact that’s what this gal lives for.
I LOVE WINTER!!  You read that right.  Summer heat, can’t stand it.  Spring mud don’t like putting up with it.  Fall, well falls all right as long as I get to go on my week long hunting trip.  But WINTER, winter is what I live for. 
I grew up being a avid down hill skier.  As many weekends as I could get away with, you would find me carving up the slopes.  Not that sissy cross country stuff, no I had to have the black diamond, moguls and powder. 
Now several years later I find that the draw of the down hill has been replaced my the roar of my snow machine engine.  I have replace my k-2’s with a Polaris 700. 
I never dreamed that I would ever be giving up the love of being the first to carve out a train in unmarked powder but I have.  You could blame it on age or perhaps that I have found a new love for unmarked territory that no skier can get to but my skiing days are over.
My new love that of the snowmobile has taken me to areas that I would never be able to get to.  I have been able to witness winter in the REAL back country.  I have seen wildlife as they try to carve out survival in the deepest, coldest of winters.  I rescued the lost.  Helped to find the misplaced.  Listened to real winter sounds and surveyed summer trails now deep in blankets of winter white.
Crazy, yes I must be.  You can not really witness the real winter spirit without being a bit on the crazy side. 

I am REMEMBERING WHEN this photo was taken.  WINTER had hit my part of the area making everything in sight B&W with the exception of a few SELECT COLORS.  Along with WINTER came the WIND.  WINDS that blows the WINTER snow into all kinds of interesting snow sculptures.  The WIND that helps to cover the country side with a WINTER blanket of snow FRAMING areas that would be overlooked had it not been WINTER.  Times REMEMBERED WHEN friends and family had good WINTER times FRAMED by BLACK and WHITE goodness despite THE WIND.

 

Red Roses

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. ~ Buddha



Your red is faded, dried, withered, wilted and lifeless.  Are you but still worthy of enjoyment?  What do I do with you when it seems your beauty is spent?  Two tired roses, life looks to have passed you by.
Added to the following Saturday photo challenges ~

The Reason . . .

Have you noticed all the holiday photos that are gracing the web this holiday?  There is some pretty amazing talent out there.

f1.8 @ 1/10 ISO 400 50mm  on a tripod remote release

I new that I had to try my hand at getting a descent bokeh photo of something Christmas  related.  Should I one of my snowmen and try it with that?  Nope not Christmas-y enough.  I've got plenty of Santas from my Satan collention, that's a good Christmas themed item?  Nope again.
This is what I settled on, one of my nativity sets.  Simple but elegant, tells the real story for the season in just one piece.
Getting a good bokeh photo is a bit touchy.  Got to have lots of distance and a large aperture (lens) open for good round blurred lights.

Next I think I will try putting a cutout on my lens and see what comes of that.

 Enjoy and Happy Friday

I enjoy participating and joining in on following photo challenges.  If you haven't visited any of them, you are in for a real treat and talents.  Participating in  a daily or weekly photo challenge helps keep you in the photo grove not to mention lots and lots of practice.  Check these out.

 

TMMAPC

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

 I had some time this week, something that I don't get very often, so I thought I would get some shot together for Ashley Sisk's Scavenger Hunt Sunday.
Holiday based, most of them and I had a great time hunting down things that would fit in for each theme.
So here is my rendition for -

1. Holiday Colors

  Reds, greens, golds, whites and black all can been seen at the local nursery.  Poinsettias and evergreens galore.

2. Winter/Holiday Icon

Do you recognize the holiday icon?  Look close -  do you see him now?  Just a new use for those old summer flower pots.

 3. A Tree

Close up macro of my tree which is only 18 inches tall.  Due to quilt frames taking up the majority of my living room floor, I have yet been able to put up the 12 footer.
Also enter in Lisa's Chaos Macro Monday

4. Quiet

sssshhhhh.  Don't wake him up!  He has put in a 24 hours shift and is catching some much needed shut-eye before he hits my HONEY DO LIST.  Going to have to be well rested to tackle that one.

5. My Favorite Color

My favorite color has always been RED!  Love to wear it, decorate with it and just have it tucked in here and there.  Such a high energy, romantic color.
Most of the above images were taken with my iphone therefore causing grain and blur.

FYI!
Did some dear loved one by chance give you a Poinsettia gift?  Wondering what in the world you are going to do with this thing let alone keep it alive?
Well I am here with you Poinsettia Care Info.
If you have a green thumb or not, you may want to try your hand at re-flowering your poinsettia next year.  If you follow these directions very carefully, it is possible to have your poinsettia in bloom for Christmas 2011.

December:
Full bloom.  Water as needed

April 1:
Color has faded.  Cut stems back to about 8".  Keep near sunny window and fertilize when new growth appears.

June 1:
Re-pot if necessary.  Be sure pot has drainage holes and is no more that 4" larger in diameter than original pot.  Fertilize according to directions.  Continue to water when dry to touch.  You may move plant outside under light shade if nighttime temps do not fall below 55 degrees F.

October 1 through December1:
Poinsettia need at least 14 hours of darkness every day to trigger them to bloom.  Ensure that the plat receives bright filtered sunlight from 8 am to 5 pm.  Then place in dark (NO LIGHT) 5 pm to 8 am.  Setting a box over the plant each evening or placing it in a dark room or closet every night can accomplish this.  It is also important that nighttime temperatures are maintained between 60 and 70 degrees F.  Temperatures outside this range could delay flowering

Oh and a side note:  the poinsettia is NOT a poisonous plant.  The Ohio State University has proven that the poinsettia in not lethal to humans or pets.

Simple Beliefs

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is so heart warming to me. Their beliefs, simplest forms of faith, what can be more touching?
Children and Christmas just seem to go together perfectly.
Following are a couple of photo that I think capture the true beliefs of a Child and Christmas.

 

After spending several hours watching the children and their Christmas presentation, I had the privilege of doing a quick Christmas shoot.  So ever grateful that I was called to participate.
The Simplest forms of faith are really the best.

Photos entered in the following photo challenges -

Bokeh You Baby

Getting ready for a Christmas party. Setting up lights and Santa area. Got to make sure that all the light setting, camera dials and I remember how to drag the shutter for this session.

Going to be a very long night. Wonder how Santa's photo elves handle all those Christmas kid photos?

Little experiment here. I wanted to see if there is any difference in the sharpness when I upload direct from my computer virsus using Flickr.

The above photo is uploaded from my computer.

The below photo is loaded in from my Flickr account.

Can you tell any difference in the details, sharpens and colors?

Bokeh Baby, originally uploaded by Barb Phillips.

The bokeh photo has been added to the following photo challenges...