Day 174 (September 1) - Kiwis

Now that I have a little bit more free time on my hands I decided to set up a shot, instead of my usual 'just shoot what's in front of you' style.

I sliced up a kiwi, got a white background, used another piece of white as a reflector, and then a small flashlight to provide some sparkle on the slices of kiwi themselves. Yes, totally ghetto. I currently have no external flash or studio lighting system. But you have to work with what you've got. The only slight issue is that the flashlight was a little warmer in temperature than the ambient daylight, but I think I'm okay with what that does to the photo. No, it's not all totally pure white, but that's okay.

Let me know what you think. I've never shot food before, but I'm thinking it might be something I could work on in the next month.

Some Links for You

A few quick links here, photography related and not photography related.

Not Photography Related
-An excellent article on why you should be cool to the pizza delivery boy here.

-A pretty cool website that I've kind of been keeping quiet on, which gives away something new every day, all you have to do to enter is answer a question. The Bright Side Project is lots of fun (although maybe tailored a bit more to the ladies than the gentlemen).

- A nectarine galette that looks incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious. Given our lack of nectarines here in Southeast Asia, I would like someone in Produce Heaven (that would be the Bay Area, California) to make it for me and report back. I know you all have some delicious nectarines or peaches right about now that would be perfect for this. Mom, are you reading? I'm talking to you.

-An absolutely stunning blog post over at This Is Yellow. Don't question me, just go read it. She's got an amazing way with words.

Photography Related
-Rick Sammon's 10 Key Factors to a Good Photograph is, as he says, short and sweet, but it's also a good reminder to think about all of these before pushing the shutter button.

-David duChemin just came out with a new eBook called 10. It costs $5 if you buy it before October 1st, and I just got my copy. I haven't read it yet, but I'm excited to. His blog at Pixelated Image is excellent as well, and totally free. It focuses a little on the technical aspects of photography, but mostly it's about inspiration and thinking about photography in more fulfilling ways, less about money and more about vision.

Okay, don't want to totally inundate you, so that's about it for today. I'll probably share some more links with you next week as well, this could become a weekly thing now that my Google Reader addiction has hit its peak.

A Year Ago Today . . .

I was on a beach in northern California, it was close to sunset, and the light was just fantastic.

Day 173 (August 31) - Green Eyes

Another cat picture today. Not groundbreaking perhaps, but I am pleased with the sharpness. For once she sat still enough to get a truly sharp picture.

Her eyes are so large, everyone who sees her comments on it. I wonder if she'll outgrow that and catch up with her eyes (she's not even a year old yet), or if she'll have such an arresting gaze forever. If she does, I certainly won't complain.

Day 172 (August 30)

Another garden shot today, f/2.2. I've been having a hard time taking the 50mm lens off the camera, but I think it's been good for my composition skills. Also, the image quality is really just much better than with my other lenses.

Tomorrow, I promise. You can quote me on that.

Day 170 (August 28) - Reflection

Although this reflection isn't what I was going for when I took the photo, it's grown on me. I like seeing the different layers of story here: photographer, glass, subject . . .