Friday Finds: Black & White

Happy Friday everyone! I can hardly believe another week is at an end!

This week’s photographic topic was Black and White and the Flickr Group received a whopping 145 submissions this week! It’s by far the most submissions yet and I cannot explain how painstaking it was to select just 18 photos to highlight. Starting this week, I’m also including a short blurb next to each shot explaining something I like about it, how it makes me feel or why I chose it. I hope you enjoy the Black & White Gallery, but please do scroll down to the end of this post and enjoy as many of the submissions as possible. They are all unique and breathtaking.

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Mr. Toad

A couple of weeks ago, Mark found a toad out by our hose in the back yard. We spent close to half an hour looking him over carefully and trying to identify him using various websites to no avail. His description and appearance very closely matched that of the Texas Toad, however they do not have a stripe down their back! I guess he’s a hybrid.

I could’ve sworn I got a picture of Elias looking at him, but I guess not. Needless to say, he thought the little toad was his and was rather enamored by him. He was a mellow little guy we appreciated having around for a visit.

These photos were taken July 25. That’s how far behind I am in editing and publishing photos!

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Close-Up Filter: Textures

I got my $12 close-up filter set from Amazon a few weeks ago and I haven’t used it all that much. I’m starting to think it might be good at tilt-shift-like effects because of its narrow point of focus. I can tell the quality is deteriorated. Just makes me itch to get a macro or zoom lens.

Some time last week, I took these photos of the pillow on the chair in our play room with the close-up. Not brilliant photography or anything, but kinda cool.

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Nothing Special

I’ve been having a hard time accessing my site lately. Yesterday the server was down for 30 minutes. Daily, I cannot access my site for at least a short period of time. I don’t know what’s going on, but after talking it over with my host, it seems it might be either WordPress, my browser or both. (She didn’t suggest these things to me, that’s what I think they might be.)

The whole thing is terribly frustrating and I’m to the point where I have no idea what could possibly help except changing hosts. I signed up with a trial dreamhost again, but it is a HUGE pain to transfer everything over. There are nine years worth of databases and files over here. I don’t really look forward to moving and wish I could just figure out what my problem is.

Anyway, since I actually have access to my WordPress Dashboard at the moment, I figured I would take a break from trying to figure it all out and participate in Pixel Perfect’s Before and After Blog Hop. For more bloghops going on today, check out my Be Inspired page!

Yesterday was a fairly emotional day for all of us and I was too depressed to pick up a camera. Late at night I went ahead and snapped just a few shots to make sure I wouldn’t be cheating myself in Project 365.

This shot was taken of my lens cap for no other reason than to illustrate how close I can get to a subject with the 50mm. This is as close as it comes. It makes hand-held self-portraits impossible and of course rules out macro photography completely. If Noah’s birth certificate ever gets here (I have my doubts) then I’ll be able to submit our tax return and possibly get a new lens. Not that I don’t love my 50mm, because I do, but I want to grow beyond its limitations.

I like the colorful blurriness of the toys in the background and decided to use some of Parée Erica‘s textures to be more playful with it.

Not spectacular or anything, but this is what happens when I have a crap day.

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Sweet Roses and Childhood Memories

We’ve been letting Elias jump on the couch. I know this is not the wisest idea, but I let him do it anyway. I remember jumping on the couch as a child and part of me likes to see his excitement. It doesn’t really seem to hurt it, unlike something else he enjoys doing on the couch and love seat: banging his back into it as hard as he can. That I do try to discourage. I don’t really know where exactly I draw the line in furniture abuse.

I used gasp the flash.

I think this is the first time all year I’ve used a flash on my project 365 shots. Generally, I am not at all a fan of on-camera flash, though I feel it can be used well for filler light outside sometimes. I don’t have the money for any other sort of lighting option, so I use natural and inside light as much as I can in my photography.

In the end, I kind of like the effect the flash gave this shot. I don’t remember what action or texture I applied to it, but the style reminds me of a photo from my childhood.

My mom got me a rose bush (or whatever?) for Mother’s Day. I wrote that the first time I took it outside, all the flowers fell off of it and we thought it may have died. We replanted it and before long, buds started developing again. Now it has at least 10 blooms! How wonderful. I know nothing about roses, so perhaps I should learn before winter comes or I otherwise kill it.

Does anyone have any fun photographic plans for the 4th of July or this weekend? How do you feel about using the on-camera flash? Do you have any good tips for using it or working with low light to avoid it?

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