Long Exposure

Walking home tonight I knew I had to get this car with the wide angle lens and some light streaks in the background. However, since I don't bring my tripod with me everywhere, I had to stay really, really still. I imagined myself as a human tripod, and tried really hard not to breathe. And I took the same picture a LOT of times, just holding down the shutter forever with the camera set on burst mode. This technique has saved my bacon a bunch of times.

Focal length: 18mm (on a crop sensor). The widest focal length I own. At a longer focal length the diagonals here would be a lot less interesting.

Shutter speed: 0.8 seconds. Amazing! (The lens has IS. I am not this good on my own. Plus, wide lenses are a lot easier to handhold. But still, I'm impressed.)

Aperture: f/9. This got me those cool light stars in the background.

ISO: 1600. It was dark outside. With my camera, this ISO is a little noisy. But I can live with it.

Sidewalk Cafe

It's hardly ever warm enough to eat comfortably outside here, but seeing tables on the sidewalk always makes me happy.

Have A Seat (and Momentary Return to Monochrome Monday)

So many of us spend our time rushing from one place to the next, trying to fit it all in, squeeze every drop out of life.

I say, bravo! Absolutely. Don't waste a moment. There's so much wonderfulness out there, just waiting for us. It would be a shame to miss out on it.

But don't forget the benches. Take a moment. Have a seat. Breathe. And look around.

Then you can get back to the hectic crunch. It'll wait.

Last Berry Shot, I Promise

You may recognize a couple of berries from this one; I used them in the diptych from last time.

Diptych - And Some More Berries from the Market

I really feel like since I came back to California I'm obsessed with food. With procuring it, cooking it, eating it (at restaurants or at home). My guess would be this is a reaction to being just sooo gosh darn grateful for the variety here! I loved the food in Thailand, but it felt a bit limited.

Anyway, I'm enjoying shooting my produce very much. This way I can enjoy it even after I've eaten it!

Strawberries

It's my birthday. And what better present could I get myself than a flat of organic strawberries, at the bargain basement price of $8 for 6 boxes?