My Amateur Art & Photo Blog

Well it seems to have been an eternity since I had any time or motivation to post anything to my very neglected photo blog but here I am. So my plan going forward for the rest of the year is to pick from the subjects I chose in January in any order, no pressure, no timeline, just hopefully some fun and good photography is the end result. Water Refractions Water Droplet Being inspired by water droplet photography I had seen on pinterest earlier this year I tried to mimic the setup with my the Pentax K200d and  my  Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens  attached to a tripod with manual release cable, off camera ligh ting from the  Newer LED light .   A pre-focused the Macro lens manually aiming at the top of the water line in the glass and attempted to drop water on to it from a water dropper while shooting off over 120 shots all together. Unfortunately none of the actual water droplets were in focus when making their big splash or I had missed precis...

Curiosity And The Cat Looking for inspiration for a photo of the day project after a hard days slog at work isn't always easy but chasing one of our cats around the house until they concede to have their photo taken wasnt such a chore because they are inevitably various curious creatures. Asta tried to smell the lens on my camera and wondered why I was shoving it in her face. Taken with the Pentax K200d with the  Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens  , with a close-up +10 filter attached in MF. No flash was fired. Color correction in p ost processing.

Christmas Lights Closeup Today was spent putting up some more Christmas lights and decorations, and the subject of my photo of the day. The close-up +10 filter was still on my DSLR so a macro photo was in order. After trying a few attempts to get real close and in focus I thought a slight out of focus shot of several of the Christmas lights looked much more artistic. Taken with the Pentax K200d with the  Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens  , with a close-up +10 filter attached in MF. Noise reduction attempted in p ost processing.

Banana Macro With my lack of inspiration palpable today I grab my DSLR and closeup lens and head for the fruit bowl, again! ;) Unlike my previous trips to the fruit bowl I didn't find any items past their prime and rotting but this banana which was still very tasty. Taken with the Pentax K200d with the  Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens  , with a close-up +10 filter attached in MF. No p ost processing, the dust spot on my kit lens is still evident on the lower right hand side of this shot.

Apple Mac-ro With the news that Apple is starting production on the iphone 5s next month I couldn't resist making today's theme a poke at them with an Apple Mac, Apple Macro that is. Taken with the Pentax K200d with the  Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens  , with a close-up +10 filter attached in MF with p ost processing to remove dust spot.

Spikes Still feeling less than 100% this evening meant trying to get back to taking photos but not going far from home. This Spikey house plant in our dining room to the rescue. If in doubt bring out the macro lens and try to capture the  miniature  world of plants. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF attached to my  Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens , no post processing.

Potato Buds I fall back on my old motto of 'if in doubt of what to take a photo of break out the macro lens' today. This potato past it's prime sitting in a our vegetable bowl in the kitchen is the subject for today. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF attached to my Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens , tone corrected in post processing.

Don't Bug Me This monster was waiting for me on the window screen of our bedroom. He didn't seem to like the zoom lens on my Camera but that didn't stop from catching this shot. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF mounted to my Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens , no post processing other than for cropping.

Tomato Macro With the weather outside not cooperative today I fell back on the theme of Macro photography. A tomato left over from yesterday's dinner is the target for today. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF with its kit lens mounted to a Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens , no post processing other than cropping for square.

Freckle Macro I was going to give today's post the title 'guess what this is?' but I didn't want anyone to be confused as to what this actually is. It's a freckle on my arm up close and personal, hmm, I think after seeing this I want to get it checked out by a doctor. It really doesnt look this bad to the normal human eye but when magnified in the lens of my Camera it is quite scary looking. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF with its kit lens mounted to a Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens , no post processing. Next time I will try this with a tripod which will make for a sturdier shot than hand holding the camera with just one hand.

Spider Web I didn't end up seeing Spiderman at the box office this week so I will have to make do with this spider's web instead. I like how the really small in-focus area adds to the overall frame. Taken with the Pentax K200d, handheld with MF with its kit lens mounted to a Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens and using a +10 closeup filter, no post processing.

House Plant The heat wave continues and it was just too dang hot to be outside today so this is a photo of one of the plants we have laying around; one of the few that our cats haven't eaten! Taken with the Pentax K200d with its kit lens mounted to a Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens and using the +10 closeup filter.

Butterfly Weed This shot was taken just before a thundershower came through the area, the sun was cooking up the yard but this butterfly weed flower refused to wilt. Taken with the Pentax K200d with its kit lens mounted to a Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens and using the +10 closeup filter.

Dandelion Macro Sticking with the macro theme today and in what little time I could bear to be outside in the sun and humidity I think this garden weed now past its prime sums up how I feel in the Boston summer temperatures lately ;) I am a little disappointed that I couldn't get the sweetspot of focus to cover more of the frame, however hand holding the Pentax and a little bit of a cross breeze were probably working against me today. Taken with the Pentax K200d with its kit lens mounted to a Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens and using the +10 closeup filter, lighted only by blistering mid morning sun.

Orange Macro I decided to be a little more creative today than with yesterday's last minute shot. Taking out my Pentax DSLR, the kit lens but also a +10 macro filter ring which requires some gentle Manual Focus adjustments to get the right amount of the frame in focus. The fruit bowl in the kitchen was the inspiration, I grabbed one of the oranges moved it in to the dining room so I could sit and hand the cam while my elbows being supported by the table. I think I may have a theme for the week ;) Taken with the Pentax K200d mounted to a Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL lens and using the +10 closeup filter, lighted only by natural sunlight through the dining room window.

Coin Closeup I decided to test the power of the zoom lens on the SX230 HS again with today's shot, the result above although a little noisy is still pretty impressive for a point and shoot don't you think? I am still a little envious of the zoom range on the newest Canon zooms though but at their price there is no way I am considering upgrading quite yet. Taken with the Canon PowerShot SX230HS no post processing. Addition: Here's a closer close up of the same coin

A Rose By Any Other Name The late afternoon sun was striking the roses in our backyard in just the right way I couldn't resist choosing one of the pictures I took for today's post. The small specks of green on the rose are actually pollen of which there is a hell of a lot in the air lately, achoo! Taken with the Canon PowerShot SX230HS in macro focusing mode, no post processing other than cropping for square.

Water Ripples This is my failed attempt at trying to capture a water droplet rippling in this glass, next time I'll try this with a DSLR instead of my advanced P&S cam. Taken with the Canon PowerShot SX230HS in macro mode , no post processing.

Macaroon Macro I found a box of half eaten Macaroons on the kitchen shelf and I couldn't help myself, it just roles of the tongue right, macaroon macro, macaroon macro, macaroon macro, try saying that 3 times fast! A post-it note takes on the role of a a make-shift miniature muslin for this shot side lit by a table lamp. Taken with the Canon PowerShot SX230HS in macro mode, no post processing.

Water Droplet Macro Inspired by some of the wonderful reflections in water droplets I've seen on G+ lately I thought I would give it a go. Some dried flowers provided the leaf and a drop of water from a teaspoon provided the droplet, lit only here by the natural light of the window which was probably my biggest mistake. The more light the more detail and greater the reflection, next time I will use artificial light and go for a bigger droplet. Taken with the Pentax K200d in Macro using the Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens I held the camera supported against my knee. I cropped and corrected for tone in post processing but besides that what you see here is what came out of the camera.