Just a Bud

Cute as a bug

2010-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

A cold and heavy burden

2010-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

The Korean War Memorial - Washington, DC. As seen October 2009 and February 2010.

A blanket of white

2010-02-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

DC was recently hit by two major snow storms back to back. The result was a federal government that came to a screeching halt and a city blanketed in white. I took this picture near the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The rugby field across the street from the Bureau was left untouched, which made it particularly beautiful - especially at sunset.

Sunshine on my shoulders

2010-01-25T19:48:00.000-08:00

Back in October the hubby and I took a day trip out to the Shenandoah Valley. I love the city, but wide open spaces were a welcome change of scenery, especially with the magnificent fall colors.

Today I was reminded of that trip as we experienced a healthy amount of sun after days of dreary drizzle and chills. Today's sun made me think of this photo which makes me think of an old John Denver song... and that makes me smile.

First Photoshop Panorama

2009-09-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Click on the image above to enlarge (and I mean enlarge!)

It's far from perfect, but I took a series of photos in Central Park with my old point-n-shoot (Canon PowerShot), then merged them into a panorama using Photoshop. This is also my first attempt at adding text to a Photoshop project. Though there are many issues with this project (which I won't point out...), I'm still fairly pleased with the outcome. It's all a learning experience, right?

Photoshop users - any suggestions for what more to do with this project? And how?

Josh + Jenny

2009-09-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

We were in Oregon recently for Tim's best friend Josh's wedding. Since it was just a week after I'd purchased my new camera, of course I took the opportunity to snap A LOT of photos.

One of the major issues I ran into was lighting. The outdoor photos are easy - light abounds. But inside, where the ceremony took place, it was hard to get great shots without flash. And I didn't want to use my little pop-up flash because I knew the quality of picture wouldn't be great. I did play a lot with the White Balance, ISO and shutter speed. Experimentation is a great form of education...

Here are a few of my favorites - some edited a bit in iPhoto, but without any PhotoShop edits.

She was running toward something, but looked so picturesque

The KISS!

Guest Book and Programs

First Dance

A special moment...

Cutting the Cake!

The centerpieces were so Country Chic

First Pet Portraits

2009-09-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Things

My first storyboard

"Nappy Timmy, Cuddly Kitty"

First Portraits

2009-09-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

This is my hubby - he makes me happy

Cute Cute Katie

Girl Talk in the Outfield

Spy Face

First Nature Shots

2009-09-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

First Hints of Fall

Lamp-lit leaves

Bright Blossoms

Lavender and Sunshine

Tea Party Protest

2009-09-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

DCscapes

2009-09-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Grey Day

Invitation to Rest

Frager's - An American Hardware Store

Budding Shutter Bug

2009-09-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I first caught "the bug" when my husband, then boyfriend, bought me my first digital camera just a few weeks into our relationship. I was leaving to study abroad in Latin America, and he realized even before I did that I would need a pocket-sized camera to document my journeys. That PowerShot served me well, and when it was stolen from my car two years later, I replaced it with another just like it (only the newer model, of course). I quickly became known as the girl who takes pictures of everything. Anyone who has spent any amount of time with me over the last 5 or 6 years knows that my camera is more often glued in my hand than tucked away out of reach.

I love taking photos. I love looking at other peoples' photos. I love the functionality of photos - they serve as my memory since I have such a poor one.

But up until today I scraped by with a miniature point-and-shoot digital camera with only preset capabilities. Today, after hours and hours of research over the past weeks, years of yearning for a camera with guts, and a lot of support from the hubby, I bought my first real camera. He's a Nikon D90 and I'm in love. I'm still trying to name him (any suggestions?), but of this I'm sure... he's going to be my "other lover" for the foreseeable future.

This blog will be dedicated to my journey as a photographer. I use that term loosely, but also with purpose. I choose to call myself a photographer even though I'm nowhere near the kind of photographer I aspire to be some day. But as I learned from Jonathan Mead over at Zen Habits, the world needs me to do what I love. And I love photography. I am a photographer, though just a bud of one.