Merp

Sorry guys, I truly suck at blogging on a regular basis! I had an exam last week on top of hard core Phi Sig activities and just couldn't justify leaving my studies to fiddle with my camera. I want to actually enjoy this challenge and grow with it, not just feel forced to do it. I got some practice taking photos at night over the weekend (because I was temporarily nocturnal but that's another story), so I plan on using that experience for the next few days of the challenge.

On another note, I am soooo excited for Thanksgiving break! Spending time with the family + PDubbs, delicious food, my last home football game as an undergrad (!!!), and hopefully enjoying some beautiful weather are all on the agenda. Not to mention that Dr. Brother's 14th birthday is Friday!!! My classes were cancelled for tomorrow so I plan on using that time to get my life back in order after this whirlwind week.

With that, I will leave you this photo, courtesy of Starbucks Cup Magic App.

What are you doing this holiday break?

NPC: Day 9-11 & 13

Day 9: A photo taken from a distance

I'm not used to being tall so I decided to take the "from a distance" aspect to mean "from up high". I climbed up onto a chair and just started snapping pictures of PDubbs studying. I like a lot of things about this photo. I like his relaxed position, the sparseness of items on the coffee table, the fact that he's only wearing one sock. And I liked that the original picture had a sepia feel so I wanted to take it to the next level. I used the Posterize edit on Picnik and set it to 9 colors to keep it more monotone. 

Day 10: A photo of anything

PDubbs had an exam Thursday so I wrote him a little note with his breakfast to wish him good luck. I've written him good luck notes since we started dating. He has a whole bunch pinned up on his bedroom wall at home and another stack in a drawer here at school. I try to be creative but sometimes it's hard at 6 in the morning, as demonstrated by this minimalist note. I cropped the picture to focus solely on the letters and then boosted the colors with a few effects. (He aced his exam, by the way :) )

Day 11: A photo in black & white

My phone has been due for an upgrade for awhile and I've salivating over the iPhone since PDubbs got his iPhone 3G a few years ago. When I heard rumors that Sprint was getting the iPhone a few months ago, I held off on an upgrade. My parents graciously agreed to get it for me on the condition that it would be my last phone that they buy for me, now that I'm almost a grown-up (which is a scary thought that I will save for another day...). We ordered it last weekend when I was home and it said it would take up to 3 weeks but it arrived Friday afternoon right before the family got here for Phi Sig's family weekend! More on that to come. 

Day 12 was a bit of a struggle but I'm still trying to figure out how to get some good bokeh shots. I'll revisit this one after this crazy week.

Day 13: A photo that's been edited

For every photo I've posted during this challenge, I have at least 3 edited versions saved on my computer. I only share with you my very favorite edit that I think best captures the spirit of the photo. With today's assignment, I wanted to take this opportunity to share all the edits of the same photo. I snapped the photo below straight out of camera today before the TFA Kickball tournament. 

Below are the edits I made with it using Picnik. I still can't decide which one I like the best! 

Simple Autofix

Lomoish

Holga-ish: 0% fade

Holga-ish: 50% fade

Orton-ish

1960s

Cross Process

Vibrance

Looking through them again made me even more confused! Which one is your favorite?

NPC: Day 7 & 8

Day 7: A photo of a silhouette

Spanish moss

Yesterday I took several photos of PDubbs from a profile angle, which I thought were silhouettes. Turns out it's not a silhouette. Silhouettes are specific in that the subject is supposed to be an outline of a form so that you can not discern its features. Duh! So in between classes & studying, I snuck out for a scenery change and fresh air to snap this photo along with my assignment for Day 8. Living in Florida, we are surrounded by this Spanish moss since it grows on almost every tree. I don't even notice it unless an out-of-state friend comments on the stuff. I treated this photo with Lomo-ish on Picnik to really darken the trees and make the blue sky pop. 

Day 8: A photo of something up close

I have no idea what type of tree this is but the bold red berries really caught my eye as I was walking by all the drabness around it. The tree limbs were pretty flimsy and kept blowing in the wind, making this shot a bit more difficult. I used the portrait setting on my camera in an attempt to hone in on a single berry. My camera automatically detects the subject and adjusts to a macro setting. I really need to learn how to achieve the same effect manually, which would give me a lot more control for the focus of the photo. Overall, I think this photo came out well. I used Orton-ish on Picnik & added a vignette to give it a more finished look. 

I'm really enjoying this challenge. Just spending the time to take pictures and brainstorming for inspiration has helped my photography. Carrying my camera with me where ever I go is a great habit to not just capture the big events in life, but the smaller details that may be forgotten in a year, 5 or 10. 

NPC: Day 6

Day 6: A photo from a low angle

Kid's-eye view

Ever since I was little, I've loved the altar & organ at our church. Between the beautiful vaulted ceiling, glorious skylight, intricate stained glass and the enormous organ, this altar is nothing less than stunning. I did some cropping & editing using Picnik but chose to leave the pew in the frame because I wanted this photo to capture the image I would have seen as a kid sitting in the pews. 

Happy Sunday, everyone!

NPC: Day 4 & 5

Day 4: A photo from a high angle

Bentley Pants

This is Bentley. He's pretty awesome. I took this picture in our backyard today (I know it's not the 4th but I'm doing my best!) and realized that it was too far away. The "high angle" didn't fully capture his cuteness and the look of love as he eyed his favorite ball. For the next picture, I got down on his level and snapped this next photo.

Day 5: A photo of whatever you please

Bentley Pants again!

Much better! I cropped this photo to make his snout right smack dab in the middle of the frame. I also edited both of these pictures using Picnik's Orton-ish effect. This picture turned out much better and really captured his goofy grin and curly hair. Bentley & I went on a run this evening around the neighborhood and he killed it! He gets a little spazzy when we first start out and he tends to sniff & pee on everything in sight. But after about a quarter-mile, we both get into a rhythm and can just go. I'm going to miss this pup.

NPC: Day 3 Redux

Day 3: A photo of your favorite place to be

Home!

It feels soooo great to be home! I love love love this wall in our hallway. I love the fun ribbons & the colorful frames, but most importantly I love the pictures. They depict our nuclear family as well as both sides of our family. They are a constant reminder of our support system and the people we love. 

Delayed NPC: Day 3

Day 3: A photo of your favorite place to be

Although I snapped several photos today, I know in my heart of hearts that the subject of today will be photographed tomorrow. Every picture I took today paled in comparison to what I will be able to capture tomorrow.

I'm heading home to good ol' Brandon tomorrow and couldn't be happier. I haven't been home at all this semester and this may be the only time I'm able to come home before winter break. Even though my parents are coming up to Gainesville next weekend for our fraternity's family weekend, physically being in the home that I grew up in and participating in my family's daily routine can not be replaced.

So I'm venturing solo this weekend down I-75 and will post a picture from today's (Day 3) and tomorrow's (Day 4) photo challenge pictures when I get there. :)

NPC: Day 2

Day 2: A photo of what you wore today

Stethoscope & Scrubs!

Today was our last day of adult health clinicals for this semester! The past 10 weeks have literally flown by. November seemed like the distant future when school first started but here we are, already on our way to the new year. 

My stethoscope was part of my outfit today but it has more significance to me. I also chose this picture because stethoscopes are essential to nursing practice. You can learn so much about your patients with this instrument. It's also a status symbol. Years ago, nurses were not allowed to wear stethoscopes because it was considered a physician's tool. As nursing practice developed, nurses fought for the right to use them in the clinical setting. They are used to assess cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastrointestinal status as well as manual blood pressure measurements. Stethoscopes are reliable, portable and easy to use, making them a nurse's best friend.

I'm proud to wear my stethoscope because it means that I have the knowledge and skills to assess my patients. I'm proud because nursing has come a long way, thanks to the work of strong, intelligent nurses before me. I'm proud because it means that I am on my way to being a bona fide RN! 

November Photo Challenge: Day 1

I've recently become obsessed with Pinterest and found this cute idea on Erin's board. What a fun way to better my (lacking) photography skills and challenge myself to update my blog regularly!

Source: superbarbs.tumblr.com via Megan on Pinterest

Day 1: A photo of yourself

Lots of room for improvement. Also, I'm sorry that I'm incapable of making normal faces. But I like the fact that you can see the camera 3 times in the shot. I also used Picnik for my editing needs.