A 1-second exposure of a red laser pointer that I moved in this pattern. This is the same type of photo as Fiery Hearts, at the same place. The line is dimmer because this photo is exposed less.

The break in the laser on the left is the indent for the window. There is a line of reflections in the center which looks interesting.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1, F2.0, 50mm, ISO800, 2009-11-01T20:56:42-05, 20091102-015642rxt

Download the high-res JPEG (1.88MB) or download the source image (8.57MB, Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.

My neighbor’s yard on a foggy morning two days ago. I like the fence gate with the dogs on it. Editing was adding a lot of contrast and vignetting. The weather in central Florida has been dreary but warm for December, although I do not attribute that to global warming but rather normal climactic fluctuations.

See also: A Morning of Fog, which I took near the same location.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1250, F2.8, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-12-15T09:23:17-05, 20091215-142317rxt

Download the high-res JPEG or download the source image (Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.

Some apple slices covered in honey baking in the oven. I shot this when I was cooking with friends for the International Food Festival at Daytona State College’s DeLand campus Nov. 2009. I wasn’t there for the festival and we didn’t sell much food, but at least this photo came of it.

The glass on the front of the oven had a speckled pattern which, combined with the heat, makes the inside of the oven foggy.

For editing, I just added contrast and changed the white balance in Adobe Camera Raw before importing into Photoshop. I didn’t do any spot editing. There’s a lot of grain since this was dark and I shot at ISO800, F2.2 with my 50mm lens. Using a flash wasn’t an option at all since that would have bounced off the glass.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/50, F2.2, 50mm, ISO800, 2009-11-17T22:18:02-05, 20091118-031802rxt

Download the high-res JPEG or download the source image (Canon Rebel XTi RAW file).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Credit me as Richard X. Thripp and link here.

The last of nine photos with Amour. She’s handing a Pikachu doll to her friend Jerica. This is actually a remote for an old Pikachu VCR… it has play, stop, fast-forward, and rewind buttons on Pikachu’s hands and feet, a power button on the Pokemon’s stomach, a remote sensor on the back of his head, and AA batteries inside.

Jerica and Amour couldn’t help but laugh.

I wish Amour good fortune in her modeling and psychology career, and the same for Jerica in her field of study.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1000, F3.5, 50mm, ISO200, 2009-11-02T09:41:27-05, 20091102-144127rxt

Amour wants to wander the world instead of being stuck in boring college courses. I wasn’t planning on using this for anything, but I love her eyes and pose because she looks innocent and curious.

There’s some guy standing in the background with a backpack, facing away. We were at a busy (sidewalk) intersection. If I asked him to move, three people would have immediately replaced him. Oh well. I think he filled in a hole because there was bright sky or a building behind him.

I brightened Amour’s eyes and darkened her pupils, cleaned her up a bit, and shifted the white balance to cloudy, which is warmer and more yellowish.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/800, F4.5, 50mm, ISO200, 2009-11-02T10:05:40-05, 20091102-150540rxt

Amour with her friend Jerica O’Neal, acting all serious. I have a photo of both ladies smiling but it doesn’t work… there was no balance.

Amour is the noun for love in French, which is very serious.

Jerica had to stand on her toes while Amour crouched down or they’d be blocking each other. I couldn’t have them stand side to side either.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/500, F4, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-11-02T10:12:27-05, 20091102-151227rxt

Amour is watching you. Or she is being watched. Either way, she’s not afraid . . . my caption-writing abilities are going down fast.

This is outside of the photography school at Daytona State College. They have these cool blue-tinted windows… you can see my reflection vaguely in the window on the left.

I just told Amour to do something interesting and I got this. Good job girl.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1000, F3.2, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-11-02T10:10:38-05, 20091102-151038rxt

Amour pretending to play a video game.

I gave her an old PlayStation 1 controller and told her to start mashing the buttons. She’s looking at an imaginary television set to the left of the frame. The cable for the controller just trails off to the ground.

If you play video games make sure to do it with friends because it’s no fun alone. I’ve been in a couple impromptu Mario Kart DS tournaments at the college cafeteria. Fun fun fun. Of course I can out-snake everyone.

She smiled with teeth and all in another shot, but I think she looks cuter in this one.

Editing was easy on this one, but it hinged on me getting a good background. There was an ugly railing just to the left in the background, which would’ve made the picture ugly if I included it. Composition is everything! So is lighting and your model or subject’s pose.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/800, F2.8, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-11-02T09:38:25-05, 20091102-143825rxt

Kathleen Edsom, a culinary student at Daytona State College, posing with Amour Bloomfield in the grass.

I took a few photos with both ladies looking at the camera, but I preferred having Kathleen look up at Amour so it isn’t an ordinary portrait. I got grass stains on my jeans… but I had to kneel in the grass to get the camera down low enough. This was near bldg. 300 at the campus, so there were a lot of students watching, asking questions, trying to join in. There’s a big photography school just a few paces away so this is nothing out of the ordinary.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1000, F4.5, 50mm, ISO200, 2009-11-02T10:02:50-05, 20091102-150250rxt

The 3rd of 9 portraits of Amour. She’s stopping to smell the roses… or petunias, or whatever these blue flowers are.

The flowers and mulch was planted there, the flower in her hair is fake, and she’s wearing a dress and makeup, but I still say she’s with nature.

For editing I removed some freckles from Amour’s arm (spot healing brush), darkened the corners, added contrast, brightened her face, and toned down the greens a bit.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/1600, F2.8, 50mm, ISO200, 2009-11-02T09:58:38-05, 20091102-145838rxt