Monday, June 30, 2008

Number 27: Done!

Even though Sarah and Amy dashed to the finish line ahead of me, I'm really proud of myself for bringing up the rear. It took some dedication to follow through and find subjects for all 26 things, but I did it! And this photo, number 27? Yeah, it doesn't have anything to do with anything except I took it recently and wanted to share.

It's amazing how, with three players, there were categories where we were all thinking the same thing and others where we had completely different interpretations - like spirit. Amy and Sarah, first of all, thanks for bringing me into the game. It gave me a reason to try taking artistic shots that I wouldn't otherwise take the time to set up and problem solve through the light and composition - and the camera functions! Secondly, thank you for being such challenging players! I was always checking your blogs to see what you had been inspired to capture, and your creativity and skill inspired me. I really appreciate being included!

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with most of my pictures. There were a few sticky wickets along the way. I have to commend myself for being willing to wander down lanes, look over fences and go beyond my backyard to find some of these 26 things. Even those that I took in my house were in unexpected ways. This game was like photo yoga - a good solid stretching exercise that sometimes hurt a little bit, but made me a lot more flexible in the end.

Lastly, I'd be remiss to go without thanking my family who all contributed ideas, opinions, chauffeuring, security, editing, and traffic look outs. Admit - you're sad that it's over! ;)

Although, there's still the matter of the ice cream I owe Amy and Sarah for being the last-place finisher. It's punishment, but somebody's got to take it.

3 comments:

Amy in GA said...

Love the yoga comment... perfect!! :)

My family helps me out a good bit as well. Secretly, I think they all enjoy this as much as I do! :)

Ashley - I'm curious about your gear. What kind of camera do you have? Do you do any post processing?

Amy

ashley said...

Amy,
I have a Canon Rebel xti SLR digital camera. Output is about 10 megapixel. I mostly shoot with an 18-55 mm lens, but I also have a zoom lens that's 70-300 mm (I shot Overhead and Steep with that lens).

None of the photos I posted had any post processing, other than some zooming and cropping in a few cases.

I did just discover PhotoshopExpress which is a PhotoShop basics for free online. You can do basic editing, color washes and filters. Pretty neat!

Amy in GA said...

I love your photos, and I think you have an excellent eye for composition and creativity. I think if you did some slight post-processing to add a little color "pop" to the photos, you would be amazed. I post-process EVERY picture I take. I shoot in RAW mode (which means I basically create a digital negative instead of a JPEG), and I add my adjustments as I open each photo and then save as a JPEG. It takes some time, but so worth it in the end.

If you would, email me a couple of your photos. I'd love to play with some post-processing on some of them (specifically Solitary, Innocent, Backside, and I'd even like to play with Wooden)! That is, if you don't mind. You can ask Sarah, I really like playing with photos afterwards. :)