Simply Saradise

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise (Batch 5)

2010-04-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

5 more!

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise (Batch 4)

2010-04-06T08:39:00.000-04:00

And more!

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise (Batch 3)

2010-04-05T06:35:00.001-04:00

And some more!

This above is a shot of the 300-year-old Japanese Stone Lantern, presented to the United States in 1954, by Sadao Iguchi, the Japanese Ambassador, given to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first Treaty of Peace, Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan in 1854. The The National Cherry Blossom Festival officially is opened by the lighting of the Lantern.

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise (Batch 2)

2010-04-04T02:00:00.002-04:00

Here are some more!

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise (4/2/10)

2010-04-03T06:54:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I took shots of the Cherry Blossoms at sunrise--through the Washington DC Photo Safari workshop. Every day this week I'll update the blog with some of the pictures I took!

These first few each include the Jefferson Memorial--but I only used it as the subject of my shot in the last photograph, which is why the building in the last one is much more in focus!

Adam's Morgan Abstract 1

2009-05-05T19:27:00.006-04:00

I had a fabulous time on the DC Photo Safari in Adams Morgan! Here are some of the shots...

Adam's Morgan Abstract 2

2009-05-03T12:13:00.000-04:00

Adam's Morgan Abstract 3

2009-05-02T18:29:00.000-04:00

Old Town Alexandria

2009-04-29T22:33:00.000-04:00

Had a fantastic evening walking around town and grabbing a bite to eat in Old Town Alexandria with my husband this evening.

Obviously, I had my camera and took a few shots!

11 things you MUST do in Boston!!

2009-04-28T17:26:00.000-04:00

All of these are just my opinion, of course... There are plenty of experts - but these are just based on my own experience!

Take in a game at Fenway Park. It was a perception altering experience... Almost spiritual :-)
Faneuil Hall Market Place
Cheers (the original ... but for the history, not the food!)
Boston Aquarium. Turtles and fish and sharks - oh my!
Freedom Trail
Boston Photowalk. Lots of history and great shots.
Kingfish Hall. My new favorite restaurant of all time.
You MUST order the New England Lobster Boil. (Appetizers - the calamari was excellent. Dessert - the chocolate tort was mind-blowing.) Be prepared to spend the big bucks, but it is absolutely phenomenal.
Tour Sam Adams Brewery. But call ahead! When we got there, it was a 3 hour wait. So we toured the reception area instead.
Boston Common - it's beautiful
Good Bar. A fantastic local bar - it kind of became OUR own personal Cheers.
183 State Street
Blue Man Group. Hilarious and great show :-)

sepia sunshine

2009-04-26T19:26:00.000-04:00

whitewash

2009-04-26T19:24:00.000-04:00

just another day at the beach...

2009-04-20T17:35:00.000-04:00

action shot

2009-04-16T15:50:00.000-04:00

black and white st. lucia

2009-04-06T15:28:00.000-04:00

reflections

2009-04-05T18:17:00.001-04:00

nope, no deep post or anything... just, literally, some reflections :-)

DC cherry blossoms

2009-04-04T13:35:00.000-04:00

My husband and I got up early on Saturday (4/4/09) and took the metro into DC. It was a gorgeous, but freezing (due to wind) day. The cherry blossoms had already been in bloom for about a week, so they weren't as magnificent as they could have been - but they were still very beautiful!

my non-trip to DC

2009-04-03T15:19:00.000-04:00

My sister, Kelsey, and I had a fantastic day planned out... We were going to buy a new digital camera for her (check), charge the battery (check), and head down to DC to enjoy and photograph the cherry blossoms (scratch).

We got to the metro but were pressed for time because she and my mom were leaving later on a four-day trip out of town. We quickly found out there were major delays and the train was incredibly late... We ran out of time. Bummed out, we left - but not before Kelsey noticed this beautiful tree, at the metro station. So, it wasn't a total waste of photographic opportunity!

And, as for the cherry blossoms - there is always tomorrow!

playing with paint.net

2009-04-03T11:40:00.000-04:00

Some of these are the same photographs that I featured in my last post. All of them are from my walk around Lake Royal, but this batch I played around with paint.net! All I did was invert the colors to their opposites - and came up with these fun results!

This is a photograph of a Bleeding Heart flower. Originally bright pink!

Trees reflected in the lake

More trees reflected in the lake...

A blue heron ...

aaaaaaand - MORE trees reflected in the water!

Abstracts and Still Lifes Workshop

2009-04-02T18:14:00.000-04:00

And speaking of inspiration - I just signed up to attend the Washington Photo Safari about abstracts and still lifes! I'm pretty excited, and now I have to wait a month....

Anyway. Here's the description of what I signed up for:

See that wrinkled red leaf on the sidewalk? It's a picture. See the cross-hatched shadows on the wall made by the fire escape railing? It's a picture. See the abstract reflections in that yellow motorcycle's gas tank? It's a picture. If you want to develop your eye for the weird and unusual close-up, come join us in the colorful Adams-Morgan entertainment neighborhood for a walking Safari that will sharpen your eyes for pictures you never knew were there!
Our co-instructor is creative amateur photographer and frequent Safarian Dennis Ettlin who will demonstrate his clever techniques for close-in photography.

So we'll see how it goes!

walking around lake royal

2009-04-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

Just playin' around...

2009-04-01T19:52:00.001-04:00

Only until inspiration hits for real photographs :-)

My photograph:

My photograph as an oil canvas...

Dancer

2009-03-29T20:59:00.001-04:00

First of all, on a walk today (with my new camera of course) I came across this (above) twig. And I immediately thought of my sister, Liz. She's a dancer. Can you see why this would remind me of her?

Second of all, I recently discovered Paint.net. And look how I was able to transform the dancer!

Progression

2009-03-29T20:44:00.001-04:00

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Do you see progression or regression?

a sepia kind of day

2009-03-29T17:25:00.001-04:00

Cherry Blossoms

2009-03-28T10:14:00.000-04:00

I took this photograph ages ago but it's still on of my favorites!

I'm going to try to recapture a scene like this in couple of weeks in DC - with my new camera.

I got it!!!

2009-03-27T17:46:00.001-04:00

OK, so I know these are nothing amazing. But I JUST got my Canon PowerShot 780SD and I wanted to take a couple of shots of SOMETHING to try it out :-)

I love how it plays with the colors :-)

~~the difference between taking pictures and photography~~

2009-03-26T18:31:00.001-04:00

Eventually I'll research what other people think of the difference between taking pictures and photography. But before my personal ideas become mingled with the theories that belong to those other (and most likely more knowledgeable) people, I want to define my own intrinsic philosophy on the matter.

PICTURES:
I love pictures. I love taking them - and more importantly, I love starring in them. Seriously. If you were to look at my facebook page - or any of the other sites I belong to that allow me to post online pictures (snapfish, etc), you would see I'm in almost all of them. And although there are many posed, a lot of them are funny, goof-around, "look at me" pictures. I don't take them seriously when I'm behind (or in front of) the camera - they are just for fun with no artistic value.

Pictures are what you snap when you take your camera out to a bar, or to a party, or to a family gathering. You don't put thought into the lighting or different camera settings. You simply capture the fun moments with people you love.

I think that pictures are JUST as important as photographs. Pictures last a lifetime - and can evoke strong emotions. I spend tons of time pouring over old albums transporting myself back into fantastic and fun moments spent with my friends and family. When I look at pictures (after the standard self critique of my personal appearance) I’m reminded of people and events that I don’t ever want to forget.

PHOTOGRAPHS:
Photographs can also last a lifetime and evoke emotion. But I think that photographry take more work; you take into effect the lighting (or lack thereof), the mood (internally even more than externally), angles, perspectives, timing. I know there are ALL sorts of technicalities that I don't even have a clue about at this point. You plan more for photography. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure that some of the best shots happen by chance - but no matter how natural the moment, you're always aware of your specific surroundings. Is the background too crowded? Is the overall setting harmonious?

There is an elemental art to photography. Whether it’s found in the way the shots are taken, in the objects that they're taken of, or in the eyes of the viewer, it’s always there. And that’s what both attracts and inspires me. I want to find my own art through the lens of my camera.

MY PHOTOGRAPHY:
My thoughts on the art of photography may be the exact opposite of someone else’s, but that’s ok. Because I’m doing this for myself. I want to take photographs that will bring me pleasure to look at. If someone else thinks my shots are amateur, they’ll probably be right! But I won’t care. There are tons of brilliant photographers out there, and I’m sure that I’ll never stand out among them. I can’t see this ever becoming a lucrative project – and I don’t mind at all. This is just for me.

I want to capture what I think is beautiful and make it stand out. I want exemplify parts of life that might otherwise be ignored and get down to the nitty-gritty of what actually makes them quite extraordinary.

Now all I need is a camera!

~~commencement~~

2009-03-26T18:17:00.000-04:00

Eventually (and hopefully soon!) I'll be posting the photographs that I take on my new camera. BUT therein lies the rub. I don't have my new camera yet! I am still deciding between two different Canon PowerShot ELPHs.

I'm leaning toward the PowerShot SD780 IS but I also really like the PowerShot SD1200 IS ...

I like the 780 because it gives you 12.1 Megapixels (which really is my determing factor between the two). The 1200 is fun because, although it offers less (10) Megapixels, there are so many fun colors to choose from! Shallow? Sure. But I want to love, love, love this next camera!

Like I said though, the more Megapixels the better - and I think I'm going to go ahead and order the 780 :-) Wish me luck!!