Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Lights and colors


New Year always reminds me of colors and lights so I thought this photo is perfect for sharing on New Year's eve.

This is a photo of fiber optic Christmas trees and fountain lights which I took last night at the mall. The view is from the top and I love the interplay of the lights and colors.

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year everyone! May our New Year be colorful and bright.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

playing with colors


Another activity that I usually do if I cannot go out to shoot is to play with colors. The photo that I am sharing today is the result of one of those "playing with colors day".

As you can see, these are oil pastels. I love working with them because their colors are so vibrant. With such colors I don't think any photo can go wrong. Don't you agree?

Monday, December 29, 2008

falling in line


I can't help but go back to my favorite topic today. The past few days have been rainy and when I opened my photo files, the first ones I noticed are my raindrops pictures. It's as if they were reminding me to focus on them once more. So I hope you don't mind if you get another raindrops photo today.

I just find raindrops so enchanting and refreshing. They always remind me that we can find beauty everywhere if we just stop and take a look at our surroundings. Most often, we find a part of our world reflected on the drops. This time however, it was not the reflection that attracted me to the drops but it was their formation. They appear like they are falling in line and getting ready for some special event.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

innocents' day


Since today is "innocents' day" I thought it's a good idea to share a child's photo.

This is the newborn child of our neighbor and that's her sister giving her a kiss. Aren't they sweet? Children and babies especially are always photogenic so there is no problem looking for a good angle.

I just saw them outside our gate as the mother was giving the baby a sunbath so I requested to take their picture.

By the way, I used Picassa in giving a soft focus effect on the photo.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

backlit


Back-lighting can produce wonders to an ordinary looking leaf. This is what happened in this photo that I am sharing today. I decided to focus on the leaf as the light from the early morning sun shone through it. The effect of the light from the back made the leaf stand out in a magical way. Don't you agree?

Friday, December 26, 2008

reach out


This is the flower of a bird of paradise. I placed a blue felt paper in the background when I took this picture. It gave the background a kind of star-like appearance such that the flower appears to be reaching out to the sky. Thus the title of this photo.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

let the trumpets sound


Today is Christmas day. Let the trumpets sound to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ!

It's rather a rainy Christmas day but that did not dampen our celebration. So many people came around asking for gifts. I always prepare some bags of goodies as give away gifts especially for the less fortunate among us. All the bags were gone in no time. I only had candies left for those who came in later. Anyway, it was very fulfilling to see the smiles on their faces (especially of children) as they received their gifts.

Let the trumpets sound indeed!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

taking a break

It's Christmas eve here tonight. I'm taking a break from this blog today.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

It's Christmas


It's Christmas! May your heart and home be filled with the true meaning of Christmas!

Monday, December 22, 2008

the color of Christmas once again


I'm back to the color of Christmas. When I was going through my files, I realized that I have so many pictures in red and green, so I thought that today I will share more of these. It's Christmas anyway.

I've been so busy these past few days so this going to be short again. Sorry about that.

Have a happy Christmas everyone!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Guess what?


Can you guess what this picture is? Did you guess or did you give up? Well, it's the young leaf or frond of a fern. Do you notice how intricate the design is? Ferns are really so interesting. Sometimes, I don't know what I will discover once I focus my macro lens on it. I did not actually know that this portion will be this intricate.

Can you think of a title for this picture? Please help me give a title. Thank you.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

duet


I do not have much time to write today. I just want to share this photo which is from my Nikon files. I've never seen this flower arranged this same way again. I'm glad I was able to take a photo of this "duet" then.

Friday, December 19, 2008

blue star


This is the front view of the photo posted as "blue magic" last time. I mentioned then that the front view has a star-like appearance. Although the star-like portion is somewhat magenta in color, I still used the title "blue star". Somehow "magenta star" does not sound right. What do you think?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

deep in my heart


This is the very first photo I ever submitted in a website which receives photos by the hundreds from all over the world everyday. When it passed the first screening as "editor's pick" I was so very happy. I can still recall how elated I felt that day. After that it was easier for me to submit other photos. Some of them made it as editor's pick also. Other's did not receive any citation at all. It's a pity that they already started charging entry fees so I don't submit anymore.

The title of this photo is "deep in my heart".

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

I'll catch the sun


I thought that today I'll take a break from all the reds and greens and share with you another sunset picture.

This is taken from my hometown and that's my daughter acting as my model. I asked her to pose as if she is holding the sun in her hands. The effect is rather nice, don't you think so?

The title comes from the poem/song of Rod Mckuen.
"I’ll catch the sun
and never give it back again
I’ll catch the sun
and keep it for my own.

And in a world where no one understands
I’ll take my outstretched hand
and offer it to anyone
who comes along and tells me
he’s in need of love
in need of hope
or maybe just a friend.

Perhaps, in time
I’ll even share my sun
with that new anyone
to whom I gave my hand.

Perhaps, in time
I’ll even share my sun
with that new anyone
to whom I gave my hand."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

cotton candy


I'm still in Christmas mood so I thought I would use the colors of Christmas in choosing the photo for today.

Look at what I found. This is an old photo, a part of my Nikon files. Somehow it reminds me of cotton candy, thus the title. Of course with cotton candy, carnivals and holidays come to mind also.

Would you believe this is the same flower as that found in a previous post - "ballerinas." They look very different from each other, don't they?

Monday, December 15, 2008

when pelicans nod


After my Christmassy (is there such a word?) post yesterday, I can’t seem to think of a good follow-up post. Somehow, I feel like taking a Christmas break already. However, I am committed to making this a daily photo sharing so I have to keep on with it. Hmm, let me see....

Ok, I found a good one. This photo is cropped from a bigger photo. I did not find the original interesting enough so I played around with it using the crop tool. I found this section rather interesting. A friend commented that they look like pelicans so I titled this photo “when pelicans nod”.

The original photo was actually a variety of chrysanthemum.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Christmas flower


Since it’s almost Christmas day, I thought that today would be a good time to share a photo of the Christmas flower or Poinsettia. I took this photo 2 Christmases ago. The Poinsettia in my garden has not yet started blooming this year. Maybe it’s because it only started getting cold just a few days ago. I’ll probably have some late blooms by January next year.

If you notice, this photo also comes with a raindrop, so it shows my two favourite subjects together – flowers and raindrops.

Have a happy Christmas!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

alone in a crowd


I’ve long wanted to do this kind of picture wherein only a specific part of a photo is “in color” while the rest of the photo is “in black and white”. I have discovered two ways to get this effect: one is by using Photoshop and two is by using Picasa.

In Photoshop, you open your file, click on “image” then “adjustment” then “desaturate” to convert the picture into black & white, then use the “history brush” and brush only the portion that you want in color. This will show the original color of the specific part while the rest of the picture will remain in black & white. Simple, right? By the way, I am using only Photoshop CS. There might be a shorter workflow in the newer versions.

In Picasa, open your file, go to “effects”, then, ”focal b&w” and you get the results. You can slide the bar to make adjustments in the size of the colored portion. It’s so easy! I actually used Picasa in this picture. I also used another effect, - “soft focus” to get the additional soft focus effect (what else!). I like Picasa it’s so easy to use, just one or two clicks and viola, you get your results!

I hope you try this technique in some of your photos. It’s fun!

Friday, December 12, 2008

another fern...another time


This is my other entry to the "natural rim lighting contest" in a magazine (see Nov 20 post). You have to look at the edges of the fern leaves closely to see the rim light effect. See the whitish edge?

Ferns abound in my garden. I did not plant them, they just appeared and seemed to have colonized a corner. I am lucky they decided to stay because they are very nice subjects for photos. They are not only graceful but they also exhibit patterns that are rather pleasing to the eye.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

I can't believe I missed that


I thought I already have taken pictures of all the flowers in my garden and in the neighborhood, but I was wrong. Just today as I went around my garden, I saw that a sensitive plant or Mimosa pudica had grown in one corner and it had some flowers. So I went back inside to get my camera and took several shots. When I uploaded the pictures to my computer, I was amazed at how beautiful the flowers are. Just take a look at this photo today. I wish I could share all the shots I took, but this is only a one photo a day blog.

I really can't believe that I missed that.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

enticing


This flower is one of the many varieties of Euphorbia. When I was taking its picture, it looked so enticing, that's why the title. The many varieties are not only hardy and easy to care for but are prolific bloomers as well. It's always nice to have them around in the garden because they bloom practically the whole year round.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Focus on a leaf


Have you ever looked at the underside of a leaf? If you have, then you must be familiar with this picture. I just included in the photo 3 droplets to make it more interesting.

Anyway, do you notice the intricate pattern? The pattern sort of meanders doesn’t it? Yet even if it meanders, somehow there is still a kind of rhyme and rhythm to it. Don’t you agree?

Look for patterns - that's another composition tip I learned.

Do you also notice the very fine whitish dots (not the yellow ones) scattered all over? Those whitish dots are the “stomata,” the breathing pores (somewhat equivalent to our noses) of the plant.

So today, I not only shared a photo, I threw in a Botany lesson as well. Ha ha.

Monday, December 8, 2008

blue magic


This flower is called "morning glory". It's considered a "wild flower" here because nobody really cultivates it or plants it in her/his garden. I actually just picked this flower from the roadside and brought it home to photograph.

I photographed it from the back because most of the pictures I saw of this flower is taken from the front. Well I must agree the front view looks really pretty because it has a star-shaped appearance. However, I thought that the back view presents its graceful and unknown side and weaves its own blue magic. Don't you agree?

By the way, there is also a lilac and white variety of this flower.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

another playing with paper day


Today's photo is one of the results I got from another round of playing with paper day. This time I wanted to experiment with colors. Colors really have a way of brightening up a day. I hope this brightens your day as it did mine.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

one more sunset photo


I'm sharing one more sunset photo today. I saw this boy walking back along the beach as if on his way home, so you can guess this photo's title - it's "coming home".

As I mentioned before, I never tire of taking sunset photos, so you will just have to bear with me if you see one more today.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Another postcard perfect picture


I'm sharing today another view of my favorite island here in the Philippines. This is a more secluded view of Boracay showing two of the resorts fronting the beach. One is farther up on the hill while the other is right beside the beach. I haven't been inside those two resorts but the view from outside looks like both are exciting to stay in. The next time I visit Boracay I'll try to get a view from inside.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

This is Life!


We visited a dam during one of our photo shoots and I could not resist taking a picture of these people as they enjoyed the water falling from the dam. They were certainly having the time of their life. I could almost imagine the water running down their bodies and giving them a natural massage. If only we were not working then, it would have been fun to join them too.

Anyway, the title for this photo is “This is Life!” Very appropriate, right?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

blue magic...blue raindrop


I wanted to write a poem to give tribute to this blue raindrop but words escape me. Somehow I cannot weave the words beautifully enough to describe such fragile beauty. So I will attempt no more but just share with you this raindrop that has enchanted me with its blue magic.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008


Every time I see a balloon up in the sky or caught in a tree, I always wonder if somewhere, a child is crying after it. So when I saw these balloons caught in a tree, I could not help but emphatize with the child who must have accidentally let go of his/her precious toys. I actually looked around for a crying child but did not find any at that time.

Anyway, the balloons make a pretty picture against the pure blue sky and bare branches of the tree. Don't you agree?

Monday, December 1, 2008

not just another sunset photo


“Every cloud has a silver lining”. How true this adage is, as shown in this photo I am sharing today. Storm clouds were gathered that afternoon but the setting sun created a perfect rim light on their edges. It was a magical moment for me and I want to share this magic.
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