It's sure been a pleasure working on these guys. I've been making bookmarks lately (499 so far) from pictures taken in 2008 with my old Fujifilm 7000 and 3800 cameras, and switching from them to pics taken with the Bigger Cahoona is like driving a Maserati after getting out of a Ford Focus.
And we were lucky to get it; a month later it was taken down by the homeowner.
Think I see a bookmark in the future of this guy...
Similar variation below:
Many, many times we've been on a walk when I've lamented not having brought a camera. So finally I started lugging the Bigger Cahoona around, but it lasted only a few days. Even so, during that short time I was able to capture a few keepers, including these guys.
Made a promotional card out of this photo, one of my all-time favorites:
These flowers are so awesome even the wilted ones look good! Never thought I'd say something like that about a plant.
Made a bookmark out of this guy, one of my all-time favorites:
Did discover, though, that we had company move in on us (tomato hornworms), which signaled the end of this memorable tomato growing season.
Wider shot below:
Naturally this was way low to the ground so I stooped as much as possible while keeping things stable with the Bigger Cahoona. Considering the limitations this one turned out better than expected.
This photo exemplifies the concept. These are little flowers that we've planted around our pine tree in the front yard, and allowed to flourish until they've almost completely carpeted its base. For several days I got to thinking that using bokeh with the grass in the background would make for an interesting shot. Thus one day, when I got the energy to haul out the Bigger Cahoona, I took the time to move my head with a real camera lens and this is the result.
Incidentally, we discovered that in Hawaii this same species is so prolific that it's used to cover large expanses of lawns and landscaping, as can be seen in the photo below:
When I got to thinking about it, it's taken a long time to cover only two trips - our last journey to Taiwan (501 pictures over a span of just over 11 months) and this Austin shoot (114 pictures over a span of 86 days). 615 pictures in a year and two months! A lot of work, but very enjoyable all the way through. And since, statistically, those who engage in the creative arts live longer, I figure this exercise to have added at least a half hour to my life...
This is just as well. We're in the waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and haven't been going anywhere to take pictures anyway; just a few yard shots and a couple of times hauling the Bigger Cahoona around on our morning walks. Have some keepers from those adventures though, which will be posted next.
As stated in a recent post, since our activities centered on what was between the Hampton on 17th and downtown, the fact that the UT campus was mere blocks to the north of us was not noticed. Upon this discovery I scrambled to get a few pics in before the trip was over.
This shot turned out to be one of my more relaxing projects. It's of the Littlefield Fountain, a WWI memorial (Wikipedia info here), and took hours to tease apart and select just the foreground and wall. Then I scanned for pics that included decent clouds and blue sky for the background, placing them as a layer behind the selection. And here we are. Very relaxing...very therapeutic.
Original pic below:
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Well we made a huge decision the other day...we've decided to get a dog! And not just any dog, but a miniature Australian shepherd. This is a high-energy animal that requires lots of attention and play time. At first I balked, being the low-energy sort myself, but decided that having an Aussie is the perfect way to force us to spend more time outdoors exercising instead of in front of some screen somewhere. It'll be a challenge, but we're looking forward to it.
Speaking
of screen time, right away we started watching YouTube videos on how to
incorporate and train Pepper (as we've already named her) into our
home. And I am working to get way ahead in these postings in
anticipation that, for a few months at least, I won't have time to
devote to this blog.
Obviously this will be a full-time gig...nothing wrong with that. And even though we haven't yet met her, we already feel as though a new family member is among us. Scheduled for pickup the 17th of next month about an hour north of Dallas, if things go according to plan.
Gotta give my children credit for this one. This all started when our son Andrew and his wife Ellen picked one from this breeder. They kept reminding us that a sibling was still available. And at the same time our daughter Allison called citing the benefits of having a sibling from the same litter. So we bit the bullet and put a deposit down. Already it's changed our lives some...in a positive way!
Tried the Glowing Edges effect in Photoshop, but got dizzy so settled with Found Edges below:
