Project 365 - February 27, 2010

Miscellaneous Blackberry Photos

I just love the fact that I carry my camera around in my pocket in my Blackberry. It is there all the time, it isn't the greatest camera, but it is spontaneous, I don't have to think and it captures the moment.

These photos have been taken over that past few weeks.


This was taken a few minutes ago as Adina was working on a new painting as a present for one of her friends. Newt got into the act and was watching so intently. As Adina was moving her brush up and down the canvas, Newt would tilt his head from side to side. It was making us laugh!


Last night I was watching the Olympics in Rachel's room (my new den) and Joel had bought me a box of Junior Mints. However, Grace decided that she was going to guard them for me. At one point she tried to bite the box open because she LOVES anything with mint. In fact if we have mint gum in our purses, you can pretty much be sure that Grace will climb in and find it and try to chew it!


The other day at work after our staff meeting we celebrated all of the February birthdays. This is Jose, Jim, Susan and Samantha! Happy Birthday everyone. It was a fun time. We need to celebrate all the fun times that we can. This is going to be a very difficult year due to budget cuts and never knowing what programs are going to be cut. So we just plug along and try to celebrate all the happy milestones.


The other day was a special free pancake day at IHOP so Adina and I got up extra early to go and get our pancakes! It was CRAZY. There were about 200 teenagers there! But it was fun. You can't tell from Adina's face, but this is how a teenager shows you that she is having a WONDERFUL time!


And, last but certainly not least, we took my Dad out for his 91st birthday on February 13. He wanted to go to Buca di Beppo in Davie. We got this cute cake at Publix. It really wasn't as big as it looks. There were only five slices and they were very tasty. All the waiters came out with the candelabra and sang Happy Birthday to my Dad while we were giggling because none of them could sing but they sure gave it a good effort.

Project 365 - February 25, 2010

Better Late Than Never

So editing photos on a daily is something that I don't do. Obviously as you can tell from this upload. I took these photos on Valentine's Day and just never got around to editing and uploading anything.

Then I went on to take more and more photos and just never came back to these. Oh well.


This is Linda, Richard Kaplan's sister. Very busy checking her text messages while she sits back listening to the jazz concert at the park with us.



Here is Joel playing with his brand new Droid phone. I am glad he likes it. I tried it and really don't have the patience for the touch screen. Way too many menus and I really couldn't figure out how to answer the calls. So what good is a phone that you can't answer??




Just some people at the park enjoying the romantic morning. Young love . . . sweet.







Cheers to you Lynn. Joel found Cosmopolitans in a box! Lynn enjoyed it!! Meanwhile if you read an early blog post, you saw me in my banana chair completely relaxed after sharing an entire bottle of champagne with Richard!








And we made sure that Lynn got a very special Valentine's Day card from the Leshinskys!!

Project 365 - February 24, 2010

Calm Before the Storm

Some photos just happen. I got home pretty early today from work. I knew that it was going to rain, but I figured I would just take a short walk around the grounds close to the house so if it did rain I could bolt home.

I edged my way around the lake and just saw the canoe on the grass and the palm tree framing the scene in front of me. I wanted a good depth of field so I think I was at about 9 or 11 on f-stop and about 30 on the shutter speed with an ISO of 400 because it was so dark.

I love the way the lake is so calm, not many ripples except for a couple of turtles poking their heads up here and there. The clouds are textured and have deep purples and greys which are reflected in the water.

I didn't do much to this image except for adjust the levels a bit and then crop to an 8 by 10 image.

Didn't get much else, but it was a nice relaxing walk before dinner.

Project 365 - February 19, 2010

My Lens is Back from the Repair Shop

So two weeks ago we had a guest speaker in our photography class. He talked to us about camera care and repair. He passed around damaged camera bodies and lenses. After his talk he gave us his business card and left. He wasn't there to sell anything, except to say that he was there if we ever needed him. And even in emergencies, we could call anytime or email anytime.

Well, a few days later I took my camera out of the case, removed the lens cap, turned the camera on and lo and behold . . . my lens was locked and wouldn't move an inch. I couldn't zoom, but I could focus. It was painfully scary to realize that my 55 mm lens was broken.

I knew that I was off from work on Monday because it was President's Day and a furlough day for us at the County. I had planned on going to North Miami to take my camera in for a cleaning. My sensor was filthy and really had needed a good cleaning about a year ago. So I trekked down to North Miami with Adina and left my lens for an estimate and waited while they cleaned my sensor.

On Thursday I received a call that the lens was fixed and it only cost $79 (that was with my 50 percent discount because I am a student). So Friday I trekked on down to North Miami at lunch time to pick up my lens. I was so happy to have it back. I really felt lost without it. I know that I have the 200mm zoom lens but I really missed my 55mm lens.

So of course I had to use it right away to make sure it worked. Right near the camera repair shop there is an ancient Spanish monastery that was built in Segovia, Spain in 1133-1141 and then reconstructed here in North Miami in 1952. I didn't have any cash and they didn't take credit cards under $20 so I didn't get to go into the property, but I took these two photos in the gift shop. I am definitely going back there to take photos. It is a beautiful property.

Project 365 - February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

The day started with a cup of French Pressed Coffee . . . mmmmmmmm! Then off to the Ilene Lieberman Botanical Garden for the Jazz in the Picnic concert. It was a bit on the brisk side for us South Floridians, but it was a beautiful day. I positioned my chair in the sun next to my friend, Lynn. Richard and I polished off a bottle of almond flavored champagne and we just relaxed and laughed and had a wonderful day in the park!

Just look at my relaxed face. No acting here!

We were there from 10:30 to 2:30 and then when we went home, I crashed in the hammock for two full hours. What a lovely nap it was!

Project 365 - February 12, 2010

Chinese New Year -- the Year of the Tiger

So I had to go to the grand opening of the new Gay and Lesbian Community Center on Friday night. Since it was on the east side of town in Wilton Manors, I met my family at Happy House Chinese Restaurant on Andrews Avenue. The owners are the parents of Rachel's friend, Pearl.

While I was at the grand opening the skies were getting darker and darker and as I got into my car the heavens opened up. As I was driving on 38th street a bolt of lightning came really close to my car and scared me. I think I actually screamed pretty loud in the car, of course no one heard me! I couldn't even get out of the car until the rain stopped a bit. So I was sitting in the parking lot for a long time.

When I went inside the restaurant, there was Pearl. Instead of saying hello, I said, "what the heck are you doing here?" Because she goes to University of Florida in Gainesville!! Well apparently, I wasn't' the first one to say that to her.

It was really nice though because we used have have really long discussions when she would come to our house. I didn't realize how much I missed her too. We talked all the way through dinner! I made Joel take this photo of us. A bit on the blurry side, but hey, it is a cell phone!

Project 365 - February 6, 2010

All Dressed Up and No Where to Go

Not really the truth! After the photo shoot on Deerfield Beach, I had to race to downtown Fort Lauderdale for a surprise 60th birthday party at the Tower Club. I had to change my clothes in the bathroom at Cinema Paradiso (again, thank you to the staff and again I apologize for the sand on the floor!!).

So here is the dress that I wore. I never like photos of myself and I am usually not in any of the photos since I am the one taking the photos, but Joel snapped this one with his phone and I tried to fix the color up a bit in Photoshop.

Project 365 - February 4, 2010

Poor Newt

My family was torturing Newt by placing Adina's glasses on his face. I didn't take the photo, Joel did with his new Droid phone, and he was giggling. I felt bad for the kitty, but he did look cute. Thought I would share. He bolted two seconds after this photo!

Project 365 - February ??, 2010

Jogger Passing By

While I was with my classmates on the beach in Deefield Beach (sorry, stuck on these images for now), this man was jogging along the shore. I took a series of shots of him as he passed in front of my camera. Then he double backed and came over to me and asked me if I had taken his photo.

At first I thought he was upset, but he was more curious because there were about 15 of us on the beach with all sorts of cameras and tripods and backpacks and stuff! So he wanted to see the shots I took of him. Then he asked me if I would send them to him! So he gave me his card and I edited a few of the best ones and emailed them off to him. I considered sending him an invoice, but didn't. Instead, I put my name on the photo so he knows it is my photo.

This shot was blurred because I had my camera on manual and set with a slow shutter speed, but the other shots were clear.

Project 365 - February ??, 2010

Frames

I never know when I will find a frame for my images. Last week as I was sitting on the rocks in Deerfield Beach, I was waiting for a good wave to splash against the rocks in order to capture it with a slow shutter speed.

As I looked to my left, my teacher decided to stand up on the rocks and I looked down toward the beach through his legs and saw one of my classmates deep into concentration. I just liked this image because my teacher was out of focus but provided me with the frame so that your eye focuses instead on the girl with the camera.

Project 365 - February 6, 2010

Homework -- Slow Shutter Speeds in Failing Light

So the task was to meet at the Deerfield Beach pier at 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday night. At first I wasn't going to go because Joel and I were invited to a surprise 60th birthday party for our friend and I had to be there at 7 p.m. But I worked it out! I was done by 6 p.m. and raced to downtown Fort Lauderdale and changed my clothes in the staff bathroom of Cinema Paradiso (sorry guys, I got sand all over the floor in there) and did make it to the party at the Tower Club (28th floor of a bank building in downtown Fort Lauderdale) by 7:30 p.m.

But I digress . . .

The weather was perfect. Clear skies, no humidity, 75 degrees, a bit windy, but that made for better surf. We crawled around on the sand and took miscellaneous photos not related to the actual assignment, and then as the sun started to set we went to town on the rocks!

I am deathly afraid of heights so my teacher pulled me up to the top. I was afraid to look down until I sat down. I got some good ones up there, but my favorite is the very last one that I took, camera on tripod, ocean washing over my sneakers, pinks and purples in the water and rocks as my frame to the image.

Hope you enjoy.


























































Here are the misc. photos taken while waiting for the sun to set.