Emily's Afghan

Back in January, my niece Sarah had her first baby, Emily (just like my mother's name!)
I crocheted a pretty afghan to welcome her to the family.

I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn in this lilac with an accent of white stripes.

Before sent it off to Washington, I let my babydoll model it, wrapped in warmth against the winter cold.

The pattern is one I modified from an afghan I found on Pinterest. It's a row of two double crochet / chain stitch, followed by a row of single crochet / 2 chain stitches. In the white rows, I substituted two single crochets for the doubles. It makes for a nice cohesive pattern.

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Inspired by Lisa Lately via Pinterest:

Self Portrait Week 16: Wigging Out

My daughter Jeanne came over to play in the rain with me today. We dressed up in wigs, and took a phone selfie on the deck. She chose hair my dark color; I chose hair her natural brown color.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

Today I taught Jeanne how to  use a verbal command to take a photo. My phone didn't like her voice. Her voice command could never get the shutter to click.

The biggest lesson this week was in photo editing. Jeanne is really good at it. She showed me several ways to play with levels and contrast and other tools to make all the various shades of black in this photo pop instead of getting lost in one big black blob. So the shirts and the hair and the umbrella each have their own tone. Goodness, I have a lot to learn ... and trying to cram so much into a single session makes my brain burn. She was incredibly patient with me.

Basking

My tulip is fully open, soaking in the sun. Splendid!
Can you see the heart at the center?

Fruition

The tulip by my front door bloomed yesterday. I love watching the transformation and the way the late afternoon light plays on the petals.

Promise

On the precipice

Self Portrait Week 15: Twenty-four Years

This week Dale and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. My gift to him was a joint photo session.

We do have our fun!

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Photo Lessons I learned:

Dale was a good sport and played along with posing ideas. One thing I learned at the Parks & Rec seminar I took a couple weeks ago was that necklaces can be a tricky component to portrait photography. They like to go wonky. I learned this first hand in this photo session. Many of the photos were marred because my pearl necklace was askew.

I set up the lighting much the same as the last two weeks: backlight on the wall, key light with umbrella, fill light, and a reflector. I learned that things need to be modified when there's more than one person in the shot. I had to deal with some sharp shadows. We changed the lighting a bit between the first and second photograph, plus I had to tweak it some more in editing. The camera was on a tripod and I used a wired remote shutter and a custom white balance.

F 6.3 ... 1/25 sec ... ISO 800 ... 55mm

E-motion

A photo essay from the photo shoot earlier this month.

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 Photo Lessons I learned:

 I like the story this tells: a woman working through a dark spot in her life, striking out, being isolated, and feeling trapped by her own emotions. The negative space in the fourth photo adds to the feeling of isolation. I captured the look of pain in the eyes of the final photo.

Potential

Almost there ...

Self Portrait Week 14: Feeling My Age

When I grow old

I shall wear purple

and marvel at the blue veins

that creep prominently up my hands.

When I grow old

my glasses will slip down my nose

so I'll chain them to my neck

in case they fall completely off my face.

When I grow old

I'll tape my thumb in place

when I sprain it

then rest my chin upon a cane

as I gaze out the window at spring blossoms.

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Photo Lessons I learned:

I had such fun creating this self-portrait! I love the way I look so much like my mom here.

This week I set up my home photo studio in our dining room. I took the picture as morning light streamed through the east window (on the left). I added a reflector on the right to add some fill light. I used a mirror propped on a chair by the camera and tilted it up to add more light to my face.

I found this great wig at a thrift store. On half price day, it only cost $1.50!
(I actually found five wigs, so there's more fun to come).

Unfortunately, I really did sprain my thumb this week and I had my doctor check it out. I've also developed a pain in my knee when I kneel too quickly (no more genuflecting for me!) Plus there's a small benign cyst bulging on my chest wall that's bugging me. So ... I was beginning to feel my age this week, and thought I'd capture it in a funny photo. This one makes Dale and me laugh and laugh. He says that even if I start looking like this, he'll keep me around.

Cherry Blossoms

More blooms from my backyard

Tiny Grape Hyacinth

I broke out my macro lens and spent a little time shooting in my backyard.

Self Portrait Week 13: Finding Emo

Many find Holy Week a week full of EMOtion.

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Photo Lessons I learned:

For this week's photo, I used some of the home studio techniques I learned last week, with a few twists. I took the photo in our daylight basement with the window light coming in the left side of the photo as fill light. I used the same key light with umbrella setup as last week, placing it to the right of the camera (see the catch lights in my eyes?) I added a reflector to the left of the camera to bounce some light up under my jaw. I used an "under cabinet" kitchen light on the floor behind the subject as a backlight to illuminate the grey felt. That worked really well.

Then I played with camera angle and costume. I wore all black with safety pins holding the hoody together at the neck. It's quite a trick to put harsh black make-up on wrinkly 57 year old skin! I'm rather proud of how that came out.

I put my camera on a tripod, but had the front legs lower than the back leg to the camera was angled down. For posing, I tried some whole-body shots, some upper body shots, and then some close-ups. Figuring out the posing angles is one of the toughest parts of this self-assignment! For this final shot, I went with this extreme close-up. I thought it captured the haunted mood I was going for just right. I have the camera higher than my head, then looked up into the camera.

I used a wired remote shutter button (which I'm really starting to love!) and my kit lens.

In editing, I lightened some of the shadows so that some individual strands of hair could be seen especially on the left. I brightened my eyes just a smidge and did a little color correction. I also did a tiny bit of cropping so that the edge of my chin was not resting on the edge of the photo (Nick taught me about how that might add unwanted tension to a photo).

F5 ... 1/50 sec ... ISO 640 ... 44mm ... no flash

I'm quite pleased with this week's outcome!

Self Portrait Week 12: Home Studio Portrait

Jodie was home from school for Spring Break and helped me set up this shot.

We're so pleased with the results!

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My daughter Jodie was home from the university for Spring Break and needed some headshots for her graduation announcements, her blog, and her online resume. So we set up a photo studio in our living room.

Using some of the tricks she learned in her videography classes, we were able to get some very nice lighting effects. She taught me to have a key light pointing at the subject, which we diffused with an opaque white umbrella. We put a backlight on the floor behind the photo subject to separate the subject from the background. Then we used a mix of sunlight and incandescent lighting as fill light. I set up a custom white balance.

We used a nice medium grey felt as a backdrop and put the camera on a tripod. I used my "nifty fifty" portrait lens. I got some great photos of her. Then I used a remote wired shutter button to take this photo of myself.

While she was in town, we took a 2 hour "Portraits and Posing" class through our Parks and Rec department where we got some tips that we were able to put to use in our photo shoot. I feel like I learned a lot with this week's self-portrait.

Self Portrait Week 11: Head Shot

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

I bought a set of manikin heads so I can display my fun wigs. I loved the way they looked lined up on my dresser with morning light coming in the window through the blinds. I felt the urge to get in on the (in)action.

I came up the the concept, the "costume," the framing, and the lighting. But since I couldn't see through the sheet over my head to make the final tweaks, daughter Jodie finessed the shot and pushed the shutter button for me.

This begs the question ... what, exactly, makes for a self portrait? Does the photo need to be completed top-to-bottom by the photographer herself, or do most artists have assistants?

Self Portrait Week 10: St Patrick's Day!

Time to party!

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 Photo Lessons I Learned:

My goal this week was learning use my wired remote. I found it much easier to use for self portraits than the wireless because I didn't have to re-pose for the camera between clicking the shutter button and the camera auto focusing/taking the picture.

Plus, it's fun to get creative with the props. That bow tie is really a girl's headband with the bow glued to it. I tucked the headband under the shirt collar and pinned the bow so that it landed at the correct angle.

Sure Sign of Spring

Now there are 6 crocus blooming by the front door, and more on the way. I love this first sign of Spring.

So nice to get down on my belly with my macro lens for the first time in months.

Self Portrait Week 9: The Seamstress

This week in my Studio, I've been busy at my machines, sewing up a storm. The garment is almost complete! I always feel like I'm channeling my seamstress grandmother and tailor grandfather when I'm in the sewing zone.

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

I took this photo with my phone's camera in mixed lighting. I had to lower the highlights, lighten the shadows, and do a bit of color correction in editing.

F2.4 ... 1/15 sec ... ISO 200 ... 2mm

Self Portrait Week 8: Put on a Happy Face

Even when I've got the winter blues, I can pull out the polka dots, grab a Cheetos smile, and shine.

How 'bout you?

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

Forcing myself to do a creative project will often ease me out of depression. The process of being present to what I'm doing and solving problems takes me away from the kinds of thoughts that feed a depressive cycle.

This week I created the backdrop in my living room by cutting circles from construction paper and taping them to the wall. I took the photo in the afternoon without great light. So I used a fill flash, bouncing the light off the ceiling. I used a remote wireless shutter with my Canon 60D. 

My model needs to learn how to pose, though. I took about 50 shots before I got one I liked. It's hard to keep a twinkle in one's eye while keeping track of all the technical parts of taking your own picture. 

F5 ... 1/15 sec ... ISO 800 ... 42mm

Self Portrait Week 7: Let Me Speak

It took me a long time to find my voice. I take exception to being silenced.

With endless gratitude to my classmate Kim Barnes who, through word and example, reminded me that my story is sacred.

And to the guy in a bear suit who is my inspiration.

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Here's a sillier photo from the session that expresses my rebellion:

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

I used my Canon EOS 60D with the camera's self-timer and a remote shutter. I used a combination of natural sunlight and some indoor flood lights, both to the left. 

It took a bit of trial and error to get the light to fall mainly on the filthy zipper. The photo was very noisy, so I removed some of it in editing. I sort of like the noise that is left because it adds to the mood of the photo. 

I placed myself in the lower lefthand corner of the photo with the brick background to add a feeling of being suppressed. The dark clothing is a throwback to my childhood when some of the nuns were pretty strict about talking in class. (The nuns I know and love now are much more fun).

The zipper is held in place with some glue dots. I'm wearing a black t-shirt. The hood is a black scarf. It took some manipulation and pins to get it to cover my head without blocking the light on my face.

F1.8 ... 1/125 sec ... ISO 6400 ... 50mm

Self Portrait Week 6: Meditation

Meditation is becoming more and more important in my life. So much so, in fact, that we've converted one room in our home for the practices of meditation and massage. I spend about an hour in this room each day doing a bit of yoga, some meditation, and writing in my gratitude journal. These practices help me keep emotionally centered - and easier to live with!

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Photo Lessons I Learned:

This photo was taken in our meditation room in very low light, primarily lit by the candles in the photo and a small light to the right of the camera.

I used the camera's self timer, manual focus, and a remote shutter button (hidden under my hand in the photo) ... then stayed VERY still! I deleted some of the noise in editing.

I took some test shots while wearing a dark shirt. I realized I was getting lost in the dark, so switched to a brighter shirt for the final photo.

F 5.6 ... ISO 6400 ... 1/2 sec shutter speed ... 25mm